The Avatar: TLA Fanfiction Writers Academy
by Midori Aoi
Summary: Ever read a fanfic that makes you want to tear your eyes out? Well, I'm on a mission to help Aspiring Authors and FF Writers to reduce Crap!fiction. JOIN Jackie Ortega and the cast of ATLA to become a better writer at the A:TLA-F.F.W.A! chars welcome! (ON HIATUS)
1. A Message from the Author: Opening

The Avatar: TLA Fan-fiction Writers Academy

_A Message from the Author,_

Greetings my fellow Avatards and I welcome you and praise you for clicking on this short story. In order to assure that you can grasp the fullness of what I am about to teach you I will be a gentle and as stern as I possibly can.

You have decided to write your very first Fanfic. Hurray!

The idea you harbor deep within the vast fields of your imagination is rolling and bubbling like a boiling ocean and you are more than willing to place this idea on (a virtual) paper and as such to post it up for others to enjoy. We are a community in which we enjoy the works and others and some even enjoy writing more than reading other works, while we all enjoy the healthy criticism of our readers and their praise. Nothing is more satisfying than knowing your story is being enjoyed by the masses.

But that's not why you are here. No, you are here because you have also surfed across the pages of and you have also seen works that are not so wonderful and, frankly, suck like no other. I can also imagine you've stumbled upon works that have left you utterly scratching at your eyes and kicking at your head for the horrid storytelling.

In some cases, you may have even been the poor soul whom has been targeted by harsh criticism or worse, the Flamers.

"WHY? I'VE WORKED SO HARD, WHY DO THEY BASH ME?"

Plainly put, your work sucked.

But that's not a terrible thing. On the contrary people expect crap to come out of your fingers at some point in your life. So all there is left for you to do is to go up. I will help.

In the following story

Jacqueline Ortega is an aspiring Zutarian fanfic author, she's got hopes dreams and of course she's helpless when it comes to harsh criticism. An unexpected visit by Aoi will prove to Jackie that there is always room to grow at the she will meet authors and people that will aid her in her journey from all writing styles!

JOIN US AS WE MARCH TOWARD

THE AVATAR: THE LAST AIRBENDER FANFICTION WRITERS ACADEMY! (A:TLA.F.F.W.A)

For the next few chapters I will be accepting entries of characters by you the readers. I'll need students, Teachers and Faculty staff. I will have the actual characters of the show as teachers and what not. You don't have to worry about Shipping for that will be taken care of, you can be an avid Kataanger, Taanger, whatever suits you! DON'T BE SCARED TO JOIN!

I will accept entries for the first FIVE characters THROUGH REVIEWS.

AFTER I HAVE ACCEPTED THE FIRST FIVE I WILL ONLY ACCEPT ENTRIES VIA PRIVATE MESSAGING.

Name:  
Age:  
Sex:  
Preferred Nation:  
Bending Preferences:  
Shipping Preference:  
Appearance:  
Bio: (Please keep it short. A maximum of two paragraphs and include your personality type)  
Pet peeves:  
Misc: (whatever information you deem necessary to understand your character. Maximum one paragraph)

COME IN AND JOIN AND BECOME A PART OF SOMETHING TO HELP ASPIRING AUTHORS AND REDUCE CRAP!FICTION ONCE AND FOR ALL!

Thank you,

Midori Aoi


	2. Ch1: I Wouldn't Do That If I Were You

_**The Avatar: TLA Fanfiction Writers Academy**_

_By Midori Aoi_

_Chapter 1:_

_**I Wouldn't Do That If I were You**_

* * *

__"_I love you, Katara." Zuko purred to his waterbendr as he held her close to his naked chest. She gasped. "Oh, Zuko!" _

_He kissed her fiercely on the lips and she returned it moaning. They pulled apart breathing heavily and after another round of lovemaking. "Do you mean it?" her beautiful sapphire eyes gazing at him oh so lovingly. _

"_Yes, Katara." He growled, seductively. Katara giggled – _

* * *

"Jacqueline Ortega, get your butt down here right now and clean the kitchen!"

Speeding fingers stopped abruptly from scouring the small black keyboard of a Dell PC system, the thin monitor's bright light was somewhat obscured by cut out pictures of various Avatar: The Last Airbender characters and other anime personas. The desk was, literally, littered with teenage girl gizmos, ranging from plush teddy bears to ripped entries from old diaries to souvenirs, to just what you'd expect and not expect to be lying on a computer desk.

A loud groan escaped her as she looked up. Bright brown eyes glared intently at the bedroom door before the seventeen-year-old screamed, "I'll be right _there, MOM_!"

"You told me you would do it this morning, hop to it!" came the irritated cry from the first floor.

"I'm still gonna do it, just give me fifteen more minutes, UGH!" She shot back, whirling around in her chair, throwing her hands into her long and thick raven hair with all the intent of yanking some strands out.

"What are you doing up there?" her mother called back, Jackie slumped against her chair, exasperated. "You've been in there all day!"

"_Mom!_" she growled, pressing a hand to her forehead.

"Fifteen minutes, Jacqueline! I'm going to work now if you need anything just call me!" was the reply and upon hearing the front door open and close with a slam that rattled the walls, Jackie sat up with new found gusto letting her fingers hover over the slender keys of the keyboard. She paused then, letting her eyes roam over what she had just written on the word document. A wide smile brightened her face as she found what she was looking for.

Not two words later did the speakers of her monitor let out a pair of familiar clicks before her cell phone vibrated on the computer desk. She threw out a hand to catch it before it buzzed its way off her cluttered desk. Sliding it open the light of the screen singled out a familiar phrase. "**1 new Text Message"**

With a serious of buttons she opened her inbox and folder before scanning over the message before giggling.

_How's the fic going? :)  
- Erica – the Great – Joyce_

Her thumbs flew over the buttons before sending out her own message.

_It's gr8t! Ur gonna luv it! Im almost done! :D  
- JackieJoker_

Several seconds flew by before her phone lit to life again carrying another message for her eager and giddy eyes.

_OMG! YES! XD send it 2 me when ur done w/ it!  
- Erica – the Great – Joyce_

With an eager reply of consent, Jackie Ortega got back to work more excited than ever. "My first multiple chapter Zutara fic and I'm almost done with it!" the seventeen year old squealed, before going back to her word document.

* * *

_- Katara giggled, feeling her love overflow. "I love you too, Zuko!" but then her smile disapperd. "oh Zuko, what about Mai?" _

"_Don't worry," Zuko said, kissing her again. "I already tolled her that we are no longer and that you are my only fire lady."_

_Katara smiled again hugging him close to her as he began to cry. "Don't worry, Zuko. She was a cold blooded slut and what she did with Aang was unforgivable. You will always be my fire lord." (Zutara#Fangirl: just to let you guys know, that I think mai's okay, so don't flame me plz! :D)_

"_Katara," Zuko sniffed, touched by her words and love. "Will you marry me?"_

_Katara kissed him again, "Yes, Zuko! I will!" _

_THE END_

_Zutara#1Fangirl – Well you know, they got married and had tons of steam babies! XDD Thanks so much for reading my fic, PLEASE REVIEW!_

* * *

Jackie stopped and surveyed her work, a huge smile lighting tears into her eyes. "I'm done…" she whispered to herself, "I'm really done with it."

In an instant she had sent the text message of her conclusion of her fic to three of her friends and even had time to call Erica on the phone.

"Erica, it's finished! I'm done!" Jackie gushed on her phone the moment she picked up the phone.

"Jackie, you're kidding! That's wonderful!" Erica's gleeful cry boomed from the receiver.

"I know!" Jackie laughed, "Okay, I have to go post it up now, you're gonna love it! Promise to review!"

"I always do, girl!"

"Kay, bye!" and so Jackie put down her phone and did the whole process Erica had taught her to post up a fic. Saving the file, she immediately clicked on her browser humming to herself in joy. Not even washing the dishes could ruin her euphoria! Sure enough she signed on, her foot bouncing as she waited for the website to log her on, so eager to put it on. The accomplishment and feeling of her success left her giddy and light headed, she had never had the urge to complete a fan fiction piece until now and she had to admit, this was her best work.

Uploading the document she scanned through the work, ignoring the spelling and grammatical errors, "Psh, not like that stuff matters, you'd have to have a stick up your butt to care about _those_ things." She chuckled to herself before putting it up.

**Story Title…**

Jackie paused as she stared at the purple bar. She had never really thought of a title for her story, at the time it just didn't seem important. Mulling over several ideas she brightened before sitting up and typing it down.

Jackie eyed it for a moment before nodding, "It's perfect." She glanced at the next requirement before her smile wavered slightly. _Ugh, I hate writing summaries. The sooner I get this over with the sooner I can have my baby up online! _

With new found zeal Jackie typed up a simple summary and then finished up the rest of the category selections. The moment she let her mouse glide over the_ Publish New Story_ button a cold draft chilled her arms.

The breath of cold air sent the tiny hairs on the nape of her neck to stand on end and rows of goose bumps followed the chills up and down her spine. For a moment she hesitated, caught by the sudden feeling and then a bombarding confusion. Looking around her curtain drawn darkened room she tried to find the source of this sudden feeling of apprehension.

Biting her lip she stood up and checked under her bed, that had been cleaned of everything – save a few dust bunnies – just two days before. She sighed to see it vacant. Turning to the door of her walk in closet she pushed aside the hamper that held her dirty clothes before sliding the door open. All was in its place. _Weird…_ She thought before walking back to her chair and computer.

She glanced through everything again and even edited some changes of her document, suddenly spooked by this could-be omen.

She smiled again once again before letting the mouse glide over the Publish New Story button again.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you."

Jackie jumped, her knee crashing into the desk painfully, letting out a cry of surprise. Whirling around to find the source of the warning she found to her surprise a girl laying on her purple bed upside down and playing with a whirligig.

"W-w-who are you?" Jackie exclaimed her eyes wide and hands going to her throbbing knee to ease the ache. The girl looked at her with half-lidded eyes in a point blank stare. "H-how did you get in my room?" Jackie continued to shout.

"If you stop shouting I could explain." The girl sighed, undisturbed by Jackie's gaping sputtering and frantic looks, "First things first, this room is too dark to have a decent conversation."

She stood up, spinning the whirligig with a thumb, before grabbing the curtains of her room and swinging them open, bright afternoon light exploded though the window, forcing Jackie to raise a hand to shield her unaccustomed eyes.

"There, that's better." Jackie blinked slowly, willing the black and white spots to flee from her vision before looking back at her intruder. It was then that Jackie noticed the girl's interesting wardrobe. It was a green robe like shirt that was tied with a yellow sash around her waist, matching Capri like pants and shoes.

_She looks like an earthbender, _was Jackie's first impression. The girl had dark auburn hair that cascaded to her back with several strands braided and bangs that were brushed to the left, dark almond shaped dark brown eyes blinked at her from a round face and soft olive skin. "Are you done staring?" The girl quipped. Jackie tore her gaze from her clothes and to her lap, feeling slightly embarrassed.

"My username on FF dot net is simply Midori Aoi and knowing that can be a bit of a mouthful you will address me as Aoi." The strange girl said, letting her thumb flick on the spinner of the whirligig as she made to sit back on the bed. Jackie was stunned watching her silently now.

"The reason as to why I am here is to help you avoid making a huge mistake." Aoi looked at her with a fierce gaze, the whirligig spinning to a blur.

"What would that be?" Jackie found herself asking, her voice came out as a tiny squeak, as if this were all a dream.

"Posting up that fanfic," Aoi finished, the whirligig slowed to a stop. An incredulous bout of laughter erupted from deep within Jackie before she could help herself she was heaving. Holding her hands tightly to her stomach as she laughed Jackie tried to reason with what was happening, Aoi stood by silently, waiting until Jackie's episode was done.

"Wow, that was amazing," Jackie finished, her laughter fading to giggles. "I don't know what this is all about or if I'm on camera or something. As to how you got in my room, I give you props on that one Houdini! Okay really, what's this really about?"

Aoi merely smiled in return to Jackie's laughter. Standing up, Aoi reached over to Jackie's desk before pulling out a thin manila folder from the mess. Jackie's smile disappeared somewhat, surprised, _where'd that folder come from…?_

Opening it up, Aoi flipped through a couple of papers, sticking her whirligig behind her ear, before settling on one particular sheet. "Ah, here we are." She spoke softly before clearing her voice.

"Jacqueline Ortega. Age; seventeen, sex; female, ethnicity; Hispanic American, you have a keen eye for anime and cartoon shows and have expressed a fervent desire of continuing your love for these things "until the day I day", at the moment you are particularly fond of the following Anime: the Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya, Bleach, and Code Geass. You also are quite into shows like Criminal Minds, House and oh, look at that, Doctor Who. You're a fellow Whovian, eh? Good to know."

A cold chill numbed Jackie at that moment and she could feel her fingers and toes lose warmth. Paling, Jackie felt her laughter disappear. _That's the information on my profile…how did she…?_

Aoi pressed forward, "You're usernames on Fanfiction, Deviantart, and LiveJournal are Zutara#1Fangirl, Caprissa21, and Rakshatagurl19 in corresponding order. You have submitted twenty three Zutara drabbles/ one-shots, fourteen Taang drabbles and seven other fanfics of other shipping categories, all pertaining to Avatar: TLA Fan fiction."

Aoi then smiled widely, revealing a neat row of white teeth. "It also says here you claim to be a loyal Zutarian and you enjoy role playing in the forums, is that right?" Jackie nodded mutely, staring wide eyed at the girl standing in front of her.

"Well, there you have it. You're writing history all in a nutshell." Aoi deposited the folder back among the wreckage of papers and other belongings. Jackie stared at the place the folder disappeared in before looking back at Aoi, inhaling sharply she stood up.

"Alright, I get it you know who I am on the net, but what did you mean about the biggest mistakes of my life?"

"Well, I didn't quite put it that way," Aoi chuckled.

"Whatever!" Jackie jerked her hands to the side, frustrated. "The point is, what you meant by that!"

Aoi's smile flattened out before saying quite frankly, "Your fanfic sucks, Jackie."

It felt as if someone had punched her in the gut, and wrenched her heart into her throat. Collapsing into her chair, she let out a short lived breath of air, shocked. _My…fanfic sucks? _The thought was so horribly cruel tears welled in her eyes for a moment. How could she say that? Did she know how many hours she slaved on that computer screen in the dark trying to put her idea into words? Did she realize how hard it was to be able to post something up without being ridiculed or mocked for your hopes?

Jackie had canceled on parties and outings with her friends because she was so wrapped into finishing that story successfully, and she had spent hours on that computer screen even until the wee hours of the morning before crashing into her bed and 'wasting away her summer vacation' like her mother said. To say that all that effort went to nothing but that one comment, that one harsh phrase. It killed her on the inside out. What had happened to her euphoria?

A moment of silence passed as Jackie mulled it over in her mind, feeling number than she had ever felt. Her eyes had drifted to land at the feet of the girl standing before her.

A sigh escaped into the tense air of the room, Jackie barely recognized it came from the girl standing in front of her. "Jackie, look at me."

Jackie glanced up, staring at her. Aoi held a sympathetic smile on her face, "I'm sorry you had to hear it from me but I think you needed to know."

Anger exploded into Jackie's chest at that moment, hands clenching into tight fists around the sleeves of her hoodie, her face quickly contorted into an enraged snarl, "You're _sorry?_" standing up so abruptly that the chair tipped behind her, smacking the edge of the desk loudly, Jackie moved toward Aoi.

"Do you realize how much work I put into that fanfic? I spent _hours_, Aoi,_ DAYS_ even!" Jackie's voice rose over a shout. "I've had this idea in my head for forever and after I nurture it and work on it, working out the kinks and fixing it countless times so that it works and just when I finish, when all my work is complete you come up to me and tell me just _that_ and then tell me you're sorry?"

At that point, Jackie towered over her and she was vaguely smug to realize that she was taller than her intruder. Aoi's face remained completely passive as Jackie challenged her, keeping a neutral stance and watching almost uninterestedly and silently as Jackie let out her anger at her, the whirligig spinning slowly by her face.

"Yeah, that's pretty much it." Aoi said, her tone remaining completely calm. In the moment all her anger deflated and Jackie was left without ammo. "I understand, completely, Jackie. Most of us go through it. We work hard only to have someone spit it back in our face without so much as a hint of kudos. Trust me on this one, kid; I did you a favor in telling you what would've been said by your readers, if any."

Jackie felt as if someone had just shoved ice in her gut. "How would you know?" She muttered, wounded.

Aoi's flat gaze softened to that of an empathetic smile. "Like I said, most of us go through it. Besides, we have reviewed your work several times and the response is not as nice as you would hope it to be."

Jackie sunk into her chair again, before burying her face in her hands. A soft hand placed itself on her shoulder, Jackie hardly had the energy to look up again. "I didn't come here to break your dreams in half, Jackie." Aoi consoled gently. "I came here with an offer as well."

This time Jackie did look up, her eyes meeting the dark brown gaze of Aoi, "I'm giving you an opportunity to improve, to better your writing and embrace a wider spectrum of detail into your work. I know you want to, not just, impress your readers but to leave them marveling your work and even encourage others to read it. It is a wonderful feeling knowing that you have improved and that people are telling you how much they love your work."

Jackie glanced back at the computer monitor, the mouse arrow still hovering over the 'Publish New Story' button.

Her nerves were frayed at the end at this point, unsure of what to make of this offer. Jackie began to think, _leave readers marveling at my work…becoming an even better writer? _

"What do I do?" Jackie finally asked quietly.

"Come with me," Aoi said with the same wide smile of before. "To The Avatar: TLA Fan-fiction Writers Academy."

* * *

_And so, it begins._

_**EDIT: **__If you want your character up in the next few chapters as main characters send me and email or a P.M with your character descriptions! I am no longer accepting characters through reviews. I rather see constructive criticism where I need it instead of another profile._

_Let it rock!_

_Midori Aoi_


	3. Ch2: Words, Words, Words

_**Midori Aoi: Thanks to all who've read and commented! Those of you who sent their characters keep an eye out! They'll be here! If I haven't included them yet, they will be in the next chapter. ALSO, if you have a certain idea of how you picture your characters to be like, don't be shy and write me out a tiny story or something so I can get an idea on how to present them. Kay? COOL!**_

_**Special thanks to Jillie Rose for her marvelous beta work. :)**_

_**Disclaimer: I do not own the Avatar. I'm just using it for a bit.**_

* * *

**The Avatar: TLA Fan-fiction Writer's Academy**

_By Midori Aoi_

**Chapter 2: Words, Words, Words**

* * *

"The Avatar: TLA Fan-fiction Writers Academy?" seventeen-year old Zutara author Jackie Ortega whispered incredulously. Aoi nodded. The spinning whirligig floating over her ear ruffled the fabric of her Earth Kingdom robes as she smiled at the overwhelmed teenager.

"It is a place where writers, like us, go to improve ourselves. We experience the joy of writing and how to weave tales instead of just telling them." Aoi said, her tone becoming passionate. "There you will learn to improve and become the writer you want to be! There-**"**

"But…" Jackie interrupted, shaking her head, "Why pick me? Why would you do this?"

"Because everyone deserves to grow, Jackie," Aoi said gently. Jackie stared at her, gaping. All of this was happening too fast! One minute she was yelling at her mom to let her finish her work. The next...a strange girl appears in her room as if by magic, insults her work, breaks her heart and tells her she needs to improve her writing!

"Okay, hold on. Give me a minute, this is…this is just a lot to take in one fell swoop." Jackie groaned, massaging her temples.

Aoi nodded, "I understand this is a tad bit overwhelming–"

"You think so?" Jackie grunted, still ill-tempered by Aoi's bluntness.

Ignoring her, Aoi continued, "So I will give you some time to think it over. When you're ready with an answer, give this a spin counterclockwise."

Jackie looked up to see Aoi tightening the center screw of the whirligig slightly before she blew on it. It spun a few times more before slowing to a stop. Placing it on Jackie's right hand, Aoi curled the girl's fingers over the slim stem of the contraption. Jackie stared at it for a moment, eying the spinner and its colors before realizing with surprise that the four colors of the Avatar nations decorated every individual strip of the whirligig.

A cold draft filled the room again and Jackie shivered. When she looked up, Aoi had disappeared.

Stumped, Jackie tried to swallow, her mouth dry. She turned back to the monitor where the screensaver had been activated. Moving a hand over the mouse the screen blinked with the page waiting with her fic, ready to publish. She stared at the 'Publish New Story' button with new-found concern and a twist of her stomach. Sighing, Jackie set the whirligig on the counter of her desk before standing and leaving her room.

"I need to clear my head…" She muttered as she walked down the stairs to the kitchen**.**Maybe washing the dishes would help her to think.

* * *

Three hours passed, and Jackie found herself lying on the couch in the living room, staring blankly at the high slanted ceiling. Her phone had vibrated several times with the bulk of new text messages but she didn't bother looking at it. She felt strangely detached.

She had begun thinking about her story, going over several scenes in her head and even staring at torn pages that held rough drafts from when she hadn't been near a computer and had a bout of inspiration. Reading some of them over, Jackie sighed in disgust.

Aoi had been right. Her fic did suck.

She succumbed to a sudden pit of depression. She didn't know what to do with the criticism and it just downright hurt. Letting the papers slide to the ground, Jackie sighed for the umpteenth time.

"What am I going to do?" she groaned as her eyes followed the wallpaper patterns overlaying the tall walls of her house. Several seconds ticked by before Jackie tore herself off the couch. She began to pace in the middle of the spacious living room. Anger, annoyance and determination bubbled in her gut as she truly considered Aoi's offer.

"Okay, Jackie, enough of this stupid depressive state of mind. If my parents taught me anything, it's to keep moving even when trials try to wear you down. This is nothing but a trial, and I can overcome it." Stopping abruptly she looked at the stairs that swept up from the front door towards her room.

"Let's do this." She huffed, sprinting up the stairs, down the hall and up a smaller set of stairs that led to her room. Slamming the door open, her eyes scanned the slanted ceiling of her room seeing all the pictures and posters of Avatar, and other TV shows that enamored her. There by the closet and hamper was her cluttered desk. There by the keyboard was Aoi's whirligig.

Marching to it, Jackie picked it up, drew a determined breath, and pressed her thumb to one of the whirligig's curved wings, spinning it counterclockwise.

As if her window had been opened, her room was swept by a warm wind yet her skin shuddered against it as if it had been a cold draft. Her hair whipped around her face and she braced herself.

"You've decided?" the smooth alto of Aoi's voice startled her.

Leaning against the closed closet door behind Jackie, the green clad girl smiled and crossed her arms**.** Jackie clenched the stem of the whirligig and breathing deeply she nodded, the wind calming down to nothing.

"I'm going with you."

Aoi's smile broadened before she grabbed the knob of the door and swung it open. Before them was not the contents of Jackie's walk in closet but a dark curtain that was covered in stars, moons and the symbols of all four nations. Reaching a hand towards Jackie, Aoi beckoned. The curtain billowed gently as if a wind pushed it from behind and Jackie swallowed.

Biting her lip, she strode toward her guest and grabbed Aoi's outstretched hand with her own. Aoi then yanked on her, shoving Jackie through the curtain and jumping through behind her. The closet door slammed closed, leaving the room silent.

It felt like they were falling through water. Jackie had her eyes clenched tightly shut, seeing behind closed lids flashes of brilliant light. It was difficult to breathe, let alone move, but the ever present feel of Aoi's hand clamped around her own helped Jackie persevere.

Several spidery strands of her hair whipped around her face and lips, tickling her and teasing her eye lids. Flailing a hand to wipe them away, Jackie allowed her eyes to blink open. She gasped. It really looked like they were underwater! Small particles of light floated around them, following a current that pushed them along. Among the lights were the shapes of stars and moons and the four nation's symbols that Jackie had noticed on the curtain before she was pulled into her closet

No…not her closet…a portal. Jackie then allowed her gaze to follow Aoi's. There was a brilliant light in front of them. Aoi's eyes remained on the destination, a contented look on her face. It was then that Jackie felt a pull within her, like something was tugging at her core. Looking down to her torso she found that her clothes were bleeding away, replaced by an outfit that matched Aoi's, except instead of green it was a vibrant yellow with orange. Pushing her legs through the heavy watery atmosphere around them, Jackie trudged onward, suddenly eager to get out of this claustrophobic space.

As quickly as it started it was over. Fresh, clean air pushed through her lungs with such ferocity, Jackie coughed violently for a moment. The watery substance around them disappeared to be replaced by an actual woodsy landscape, and hard ground met Jackie's feet so quickly she stumbled.

Bending over to catch herself from falling Jackie turned around to find the portal, but it wasn't there. It was like they simply appeared into a new place out of thin air. Breathing heavily, Jackie turned back to face Aoi. The girl was already walking off through the trees, the dirt crunching beneath her sandals. "Keep up, Jackie!" she called behind her.

Jackie hesitated, surveying her surroundings. It was a beautiful clear day, the sky a rich blue and the trees around them were vibrantly green, almost greener than back home. _Wait…where are we?_Thought the teenager, glancing around quickly, but she dared not stay behind. Bursting to a jog, Jackie hustled to walk beside Aoi.

Upon the teen's inquiry of their location, Aoi laughed. "Believe it or not, we're in a mock dimension of what the lands of Avatar: The Last Airbender would look like."

Jackie's eyes widened, "We're in Avatar land?"

Aoi chuckled, "Something like that."

"What kingdom?" Jackie gushed, her excitement bubbling through her eyes. "Are we in the Earth Kingdom, The Air Temples, or The Fire Nation?"

Aoi shook her head again, the braids swinging cheerily by her face. "Like I said, this land is somewhat like the Avatar land, but with various changes. Here is where you will begin your training and where I conclude mine."

Jackie looked around again before smiling widely. "This is unbelievable." Aoi smirked before following the trail past a huge tree. Rounding the gargantuan tree and climbing over some of its roots, Jackie's breath caught in her throat. Before them stood the most astounding building she had ever seen.

Constructed in the Asian style as most houses were constructed in Avatar, it was vast and beautiful. The walls were painted with all manner of symbols and figures, the roof was beautifully plated white and gold and on top of the enormous entrance gate was a painted sign that proudly declared**,**

**"Welcome, Alumni to the Avatar: The Last Airbender Fan-Fiction Writers Academy!"**

With the four nation symbols carved below it. Floored, Jackie stared at the sign, her mouth gaping like a fish.

"Come now," Aoi urged, tugging at the girl's hand. "We'll need to hurry; you need to meet the headmasters before you can begin**."**

Jackie followed, feeling all her thoughts vanish as she moved closer to the grand and spacious building.

The walk was slow and steady. Aoi kept the pace deliberately slow for Jackie's sake as the girl eyed everything with awe. As the neared the gate two Earth Kingdom men tapped the ground with their spears, and the large intricately carved gate labored open for the two girls. After glancing away from the gate Jackie realized that they weren't alone. Other people were making their way towards the gate, many with apprehensive looks on their faces, others with excited gazes and smiles while still others merely appeared content. The amount of people making their way to the gates was amazing; there must have been at least fifty people.

"Who are they?" Jackie asked Aoi, suddenly aware of the whirligig clenched in her hand. The contraption was spinning excitedly and some of the wings were glowing with reflected light from the climbing sun.

Aoi turned, taking the whirligig from Jackie's hand, she smiled and said, "They are people very much like you and I. They are here to better themselves."

Passing the gates, Jackie was bombarded by the noise of the busy people around them. _It's like a city in here!_ She thought as she scanned the area. People were walking around, many of them dressed like she was, others were dressed differently in unusual styles; hair, eye and skin colors ranged in various shades and tones, filling the area in front of her in a vast spectrum of color. Flying around the air were people on gliders, flying lemurs and even several Sky bison. A feeling of complete joy filled Jackie._I've always wanted to see the Avatar creatures in real life._

The city-like area was bustling with people and creatures, a marketplace was just down the main plaza and ahead of them was the largest building. "Just over there is the school, and around here are the dorm areas," Aoi was explaining, her grin broader than Jackie had ever seen. Taking it all in like a ravenous child placed in an all-you-can-eat buffet line, Jackie felt the excitement of the crowd around her add a jovial hop to her steps.

"Hey, Aoi!" they both paused as they saw, to Jackie's sheer joy, Lee, the boy Zuko had bonded with in the episode of 'Zuko Alone' bound to them. Slapping her hands to her mouth to avoid shrieking in joy, Jackie muted herself to watch.

Aoi smiled, "Hey Lee, what news from the Rowena?"

"She's got three more missions for you and you better get to them before the end of the day." The boy grinned lopsidedly.

Aoi let out a huge sigh before nodding, "Great…Alright, Lee. I'll be on my way with Jackie."

"See you later!" Lee exclaimed, waving goodbye as he ran. Aoi continued walking onwards before turning to pull a dreamy Jackie behind her.

"That was Lee…!" Jackie was wheezing. "I just met Lee…!" then in an instant Jackie grabbed Aoi by the collar, yanking the surprised girl to her. "Aoi, I just met Lee which means all the other characters are…!"

She gasped loudly before dropping her guide comically to the ground before clapping her hands to her face once again. Shrieking, Jackie then dropped to the ground. Several people had now stopped to see this spectacle. Several of them laughed, others rolled their eyes. This wasn't anything unusual. Most new people had breakdowns of this manner.

"I get to meet Aang and Zuko and Katara and Sokka and Toph and –"

"Jackie," Aoi interrupted, "Breathe!"

Jackie stopped before obeying, filling her lungs with air.

Aoi sighed, "Yes, Jackie there is a chance, but you have to calm down. It might be that you won't be able to meet them face to face at all, to avoid fan mauling and unnecessary character death."

Jackie paled at that comment, her joy halting to an abrupt halt, before asking in a horrified voice, "Has any of them ever…?"

Aoi snickered, "Well no, the Academy has been successful at avoiding any harm to occur to the characters." Standing up and helping the fan girl to her feet, Aoi continued, "We have taken the necessary precautions and placed several wards on the characters to protect them whenever they go out in public."

Jackie nodded, relieved, her initial hysteria and terror fading away as they shook the dirt off their clothes, "Okay, that makes sense." Aoi smiled at her before spinning the whirligig several times and making her way toward the large building.

"Alright now here is a small list of things you need to know about the Headmasters," Aoi began as they threaded around people and minor characters going about their own business. Jackie followed obediently, trying her best to pay attention, more often than not letting her gaze catch on to a flying lemur who flew close enough to the people, or some other creatures, or some people who looked particularly interesting or bizarre.

"We have a system so that there isn't exactly one person in charge, that way it can be easier to assist all the students. Can you imagine being the one person in charge of everyone else? Chaos…" Aoi shuddered.

"Anyway there are four headmasters, two are men and two are women. The first, being from water is Headmaster Kuhar, he sees to the Water Tribe houses in the dorms and other sects of education, mostly romantic genres and the like." Aoi threw a smirk at Jackie before continuing on her way. Jackie was unsure what to make of that but felt a faint annoyance at what it might have implied.

"Next is Headmistress Baikei, she sees to the Earth Kingdom houses in the dorms and is mostly in charge of the action/adventure genres with some variance, while you're with me you'll see a lot of her."All manner of annoyance melted from Jackie as she glanced up at Aoi, wondering if the trace of bitterness in her voice hinted at something deeper, despite the slight smile over her guide's face**.** Aoi continued, the building getting closer and closer, Jackie set her previous thought aside as she allowed her surroundings to sweep her away. As they climbed a wide semi circle set of stone stairs Jackie vaguely noticed the repeating symbols of the nations on every step they climbed.

"The third Headmaster is Haroh, he's in charge of the Fire Nation houses in the dorms; he shares the action/adventure genres with Baikei. However, he's mostly in charge of the student faculty and angst kind of genres. Then finally is headmistress Yun Ryang, she's the Air Nomad leader over the dorms and the spiritual, sci-fi, fantasy kind of genres."

When Aoi finished speaking Jackie stopped for a moment. "Wait, you mean to tell me this is a SCHOOL?"

Aoi blinked, surprised, "Was that not clear at all?"

Jackie merely shook her head, starting to walk again."No, you were pretty clear. Thing is I just finished school for the summer and the thought of homework and stuff really bums me out."

Aoi merely laughed. "It's not exactly like school, and you won't receive homework, seeing as you won't be going home until you are deemed ready to write decent fiction."

Jackie stopped again in her tracks. Horrified, she rounded on Aoi. "What? You mean to tell me I'm stuck here for who knows HOW long?"

Aoi raised her hands defensively, the whirligig spinning with a breeze that cooled the warm day. "Hold on now, Jackie, let me explain–"

"Do you realize what you've pulled me into?" Jackie exploded, her earlier joys disappearing as the depth of this horrific kidnap expanded in her mind. "It's all fine and dandy that I'm alright, but when my mom comes home to find me gone without a trace, she'll freak out! Like, she'll call everyone! The police, the FBI, the CIA, the NBA–" Jackie stopped**.** Lingering over her mouth was Aoi's hand, clutching at an invisible string that had silenced the shocked teenager.

"It's going to be fine, Jackie." Aoi said, soothing yet with a hint of annoyance. "This place is in a suspended dimension, another time frame so to speak. So while days, weeks and months pass by, only seconds and minutes will tick away in your home. I guarantee you and as long as everything goes as planned and under schedule you will arrive back home and it will seem as if it had only been a few hours."

Jackie whipped a hand over Aoi's removing whatever it was that held her mouth closed. Stretching her mouth to relieve the spider web feeling Aoi had left. Jackie shook her head, "A few hours is a while, Aoi. What if my mom calls to check up on me and finds that I'm not answering my phone? She'll think something weird is going on and she'll probably march back home to figure it out."

"Then you better pray she doesn't figure something out, and if she does... well you can always give her some excuse." Aoi then paused to smirk. "You're never short of a few excuses as far as I'm concerned." Jackie felt her argument falter then, somewhat annoyed at the implication.

"What do you mean by – you know what, never mind." Jackie grunted.

Aoi smiled, "We can't take you back yet, Jackie. Once you accepted my offer, a seat, a room and supplies for your lessons was made and to take you back now because you've got cold feet would make all that effort go to waste." Then Aoi jerked her thumb towards the large building as people continued to hustle around them and make their way into it, "Besides it would, quite frankly, piss off the headmasters if we tried to get you back. It would throw off all the schedules we have delicately fixed for the portal handlers."

Jackie watched the girl with a defeated (albeit annoyed) expression**.** Sighing, she shrugged, "Alright, I'll stay."

Jerking up a threatening digit to Aoi's nose, Jackie hissed, "But if I don't see Aang or Zuko, I'm leaving."

Aoi laughed, her eyes twinkling pleasantly, and despite her annoyance Jackie could not help but smile. "Alright, Ortega, I promise," She lifted her right hand in a sign of mock fealty, "that I will get you to meet one of your two idols."

"They're not my idols," Jackie protested quietly as they moved on towards the building, "I just happen to adore them…"

Once inside the Academy, Jackie's jaw dropped. The place was incredible; it looked almost exactly like Won Shi Tong's library from 'The Library' episode but with a few obvious differences.

Over the roof were glass panels that allowed the sunlight to filter in, giving the large library-like place an ephemeral glow and splendor. The walls were decorated with the same intricate designs she saw gracing the entrance gate, and the lamps on the walls changed shades in a rainbow sequence. Not surprisingly,the main colors were those of the four nations.

The entire place was surrounded with people of all sizes and all colors. Some carried tags with their usernames on them, and other little doodads like spinners and tiny fans or umbrellas. On two occasions Jackie spotted people with whirligigs similar to the one Aoi had over her ear. The floor was of a rich black marble with gray spots that glittered like quartz, and to the right at the end of the building where she saw the same pulley-elevator system from the show being used. An immense spiral staircase curled to several levels continuing upwards. Grand windows at several ends of the area allowed more light to filter through but not as beautifully as the roof panels.

To Jackie's astonishment she saw several hundred books floating in the air, some of them without covers and several papers fluttering away into the depths of the library while other papers rushed up to meet them. Several lemurs flew around the vast open space of the library, chasing papers or snatching them, staring at their contents before letting them go and flying somewhere else.

Every paper a lemur happened to snatch and let go resumed its journey to unite with its respective book. Whenever a book finished, a cover came attached itself to it and then the completed book headed off to a bookshelf to rest.

Letting her gaze fall back to the ground around her Jackie met Aoi's amused gaze, "You'll explain a lot of this, right?" Aoi chuckled and continued to lead her past the people walking around her.

There were several desks in front of them that Jackie assumed were for a customer service sort of deal. There Aoi led her where she saw a girl with round glasses and hair split to frame her face and then braided together down her front. She had stunning green eyes and a shy smile.

"Hello, Aoi." The girl said. Jackie didn't recognize her as a character of the show so instead assumed she was another user of fanfiction**.**

"Hello Ranai, I bring a new student. Her records should be in a data file under O.J."

Against her better judgment, Jackie giggled and the two girls looked at her. Suddenly sheepish she cleared her voice, "Uh…O.J…it just reminded me of orange juice…"

Aoi smiled while Ranai merely quirked her lips at her. Turning back to Aoi, she asked, "Any specific number?"

Aoi shook her head. "She has not been through an orientation with the Headmasters yet."

Ranai nodded before turning around and motioning them to follow. Aoi adopted a quick stride to match the small librarian's while Jackie nearly had to jog to catch up. Weaving their way past people and towards the several rows of bookshelves that aligned much of the library, Jackie let her gaze linger on several people who looked particularly bizarre or interesting.

Soon they arrived at a small door, bypassing some bookshelves that had their contents constantly removed and changed with other newer arrivals floating in. Knocking on the door they waited until it opened to reveal a middle aged man with a pleasant smile holding out the folder.

Ranai retrieved it, opened it and, smiling, said, "She will begin classes tomorrow and follow two teachers for the course of her studies. According to her birthday she will be residing in the Earth Dorms unless a headmaster changes it. Her room is E219; she will be sharing it with two other members. That, too, will be subject to change by a headmaster/mistress, if ever, and…" Ranai trailed off before wrinkling her nose. Jackie studied her expression with mild curiosity.

Aoi tilted her head with an inquiry, "Anything else, Ranai?"

Ranai shook her head before resuming her smiling, "No, that's all. She will be scheduled to return home in four months." Jackie gasped before reminding herself of Aoi's explanation of time; still the revelation was nonetheless nerve wracking.

"Thank you, Ranai," Aoi bowed, and Ranai and the old man returned the gesture, before proffering a key and a card. During the brief walk back to the main hall, Aoi handed Jackie the key and the card.

"Don't lose these." Aoi warned. "If you do we can always give you a spare, but considering how annoying it is to always make a spare it is not without its punishment. Trust me, you'll want to keep these two safe." Jackie immediately tucked them within her robe to better heed Aoi's warning.

"The key is your room key and the card is a map, a rather ingenious little gadget," Aoi chuckled, "In the center there is a red triangle and when you press on it and ask it for directions it'll tell you where you are and how to get to where you want to be."

Jackie retrieved the card with a gesture of awe. "Wow, this really is handy."

Aoi grinned, "You can imagine the stress relief that little thing allowed the headmasters and main faculty. This place is so huge it's absurdly easy to get lost, so this card helps you avoid getting lost altogether. Why, when this little thing was distributed along the whole student body, disappearance rates went down by a whopping eighty two percent!"

Jackie frowned, "So, there are still people who get lost?" that didn't sound too good.

"Of course," Aoi sighed, "There are still particular dummies that lose their cards and end up somewhere they shouldn't. No one gets hurt though," Aoi added quickly, hoping to ease the worried gaze of the trainee, "If anything were to happen to you here you would immediately be returned to your home."

Jackie appeared pacified but the idea still worried her. What would happen to you if you were to go somewhere you shouldn't?

"Alright, I believe it's time to meet the headmasters," Aoi announced, her usual smile taking an air of mischief. Jackie felt her stomach drop as the girl led her towards the large spiral staircase, "Wait, we're meeting them now?" she asked nervously.

"Yes," Aoi replied, "We have an appointment with them and it's never wise to arrive late to an appointment with the Head Masters."

"I get that," Jackie said quickly, "But when did we make an appointment?" her inquiry was met by a familiar smile and a wink by her guide before they began their trek up the stairs.

* * *

"Hurry up, Jackie. We're already two minutes behind schedule!" Jackie gritted her teeth as Aoi continued her brisk pace up ahead. Wiping a hand over her forehead to remove the thin layer of accumulated sweat, Jackie continued up the flight of stairs with annoyance, ignoring fellow passers by and their staring, feeling her legs burn with every step. Looking over the rail she saw the main hall with full clarity, seeing the place twist and turn and end, her gaze continuing to other smaller buildings she guessed were the dorms.

"Ugh," She panted, turning away her gaze before she succumbed to vertigo. Heights were never her forte. "How many floors do we have to climb to get to the headmasters?"

Up ahead Aoi turned back to check her trainee's outlook. Jackie felt a sharp jab of envy and irritation to see the girl didn't even look out of breath. Rolling her eyes, Aoi replied, "We have four more flights up before we reach the offices."

Jackie's jaw dropped before letting her head fall to her chest, "You've got to be kidding me! We just climbed twelve flights and we have four more?" Biting back a loud and very unbecoming groan, Jackie squared her shoulders and pressed onwards, clenching her teeth as she pushed her pace to match Aoi's.

Upon seeing the girl's pace increase, Aoi giggled under her breath before calling to her, "You're doing great, Jackie, just keep breathing!"

"Oh, shut up!" came the biting remark. Laughing out loud Aoi continued to lead them up the winding stair case, greeting people who were making their way up or down the staircases. Jackie grumbled under her breath as they made their way, wondering why they couldn't just bend themselves up the flight of stairs, or use those cool elevator-like systems she saw earlier –

Something clicked in Jackie's mind that moment and a feral snarl made its way over her face, "Aoi!" she shouted, suddenly feeling the anger and injustice burn energy through her legs, however just as she reached the girl she found that her guide was not alone and her anger dwindled somewhat as curiosity toward this stranger overrode it**.**

Aoi turned to the girl with mild interest before smiling, "Jackie, it's about time you got here, I want to introduce you to one of the professors here at the Academy."

Ignoring the hidden jab at teasing, Jackie turned her gaze from Aoi to an older woman with a warm smile. Taking in her appearance, Jackie recognized the woman's outfit as the formal robe of the Air benders, almost exactly how Aang had his clothes at the end of the Series Finale. Envy burned its way through Jackie's chest when she saw the beaded Air Nomad necklace around the woman's neck.

"Are you done staring?" The woman's smooth voice interrupted her, embarrassment sending blood to flush brightly on her cheeks and burn her ears.

Jackie quickly bowed, remembering that was a way to show honor and respect, quickly uttering a small, "F-forgive me."

The two women shared a laugh; Aoi's brighter than the other. Jackie felt her anger deflate as she looked back at the woman. "This is Professor Rose, although she prefers us to call her 'Jillie' when classes are not in session." Aoi said, introducing the woman.

Jillie's eyes twinkled merrily, the green-blue of her irises shining brightly under the light the roof panels permitted. In the sunlight, the woman's auburn hair burned a bright red making her fair skin look paler and striking. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Jillie."

"The pleasure is mine," Jillie replied with a laugh, "though it appears Aoi is correct, you do have a tendency to stare."

Jackie allowed herself to smile. "There are a lot of great things to see."

Jillie let her smile widen before turning to Aoi. "I believe she'll fit in here just fine, Aoi," Looking back to Jackie, Jillie's smile sharpened, her eyes narrowing a little. "Make sure to keep your feet on solid ground, young lady**.** It's ridiculously easy to get swept away by this place."

Jackie nodded before bowing, "Thank you, Jillie. I'll keep your advice in mind."

"See to it that you do," Jillie said sternly yet kindly, "Hearing about kids getting thrown back to their homes due to stupidity is not something I enjoy. I'll be keeping an eye on you." Jackie expressed her thanks again before taking a step behind Aoi. "I'll be seeing you when lessons are in session, Aoi."

Aoi bowed again, "Thank you, professor," and with that the teacher ran towards the rail, leaping over it and falling down several flights. Jackie let out a cry of surprise and almost followed to see if the woman had met her doom, but was stopped by a snatch on her wrist and a tug up the next flight of stairs.

Still winded from the earlier climb Jackie didn't hesitate to protest, "Aoi, why on earth are we running?"

"Because, O gawking One," Aoi shot back as they reached the specified floor, running straight down the vast hall way. "You are going to be very late for your meeting and tardiness is not an ideal first impression."

Eyes widening, Jackie picked up the pace and the two sped all the way towards the office.

* * *

"These doors," Jackie gasped, "Are the biggest doors…I have ever seen."

"Focus," Aoi warned, while quickly tidying the girl's windswept hair with a brush one of the attendants at the main desk had given her. Several of the attendants were applying a bit of make up or spraying hair spray in a flurry of movement. Jackie turned her head to further stare at the large maple doors, her eyes tracing over the designs that had been masterfully etched into the polished wood.

Sighing, Aoi forced the girl's gaze from the two doors to rest on her face. "There are some quick things you need to know before you go in there, since we have a few seconds before you are called in." While the girls continued straightening up her clothes, Aoi continued, "Headmaster Kuhar; he is not fond of long pauses and rambling so whatever you need to say be short and to the point,"

Jackie nodded, feeling her palms moist again with apprehension, she wiped them on her dress earning her a vehement shake of the head and a napkin from one of the attendants.

Aoi kept speaking, "Now as for Headmistress Baikei; she's very fond of people who know their vocabulary so try to use big words, and she can't stand the overuse of the word 'like' so watch out for that." Someone was applying some kind of balm on her lips and applying something that smelled like hand sanitizer and lotion over her hands, arms and whatever patch of skin that was not covered by her clothes.

"Headmaster Haroh, he's not fond of crude humor or puns, so please avoid them like the plague." Jackie giggled nervously at that, Aoi smiled before grabbing a small bottle and spraying its contents over the girl's body, Jackie sneezed. "Bless you," one of the girls said, Jackie nodded with a polite smile but was unsure who to thank. Aoi gave her no time to find out.

"Finally, Headmistress Yun Ryang, she doesn't talk much but she will be listening to everything you say, she likes it when people are polite but dislikes flattery, so if you want to be nice, be honest." The flurry of motion ended with someone wiping a handkerchief over the moistening parts of Jackie's face a tad roughly.

Jerking away and feeling slightly overcrowded, Jackie spoke quickly saying, "Alright. Be nice, don't ramble, use big words, don't be crude or use puns, and be honest, got it," Aoi nodded, satisfied, before knocking three times on the large big doors.

"One last thing," Aoi turned her voice to a whisper, "They will be going over your writing to you and Mistress Baikei likes to be sarcastic sometimes. So if they say something that rubs on you the wrong way," Aoi grabbed her by the shoulders and pulled her close, emphasizing ever word with a sharp hiss.

"_Shut._ _UP_."

Jackie nodded meekly underneath her guide's fierce gaze before being let go. The large doors slowly slid open enough for them to walk in before sliding back shut with a surprisingly soft thud.

Before them was a large traditional Asian styled room, right down to the tatami mats. Before them sat the headmasters on top of a dais, Jackie's breath catching in her throat as she let her eyes roam over each. By their clothes she was able to guess who was who.

"Remove your shoes, please," was the soft request from the woman garbed in the fashion of the Air Nomads, Jackie guessed her to be Yun Ryang. Jackie was blown away to see the same arrows on her that the Airbending masters had tattooed to their bodies. The oranges and yellows of the robes were the deepest she had ever seen, and if she looked closely she could see several designs stitched into the soft wool and cotton that looked like Bison and lemurs. She reminded her of the Avatar Yang Chen and Jin from Ba Sing Se.

Quickly removing their shoes the two girls made their way towards the dais, on the ground a few sets of plush pillows arranged neatly in a line on the tatami mats. Jackie let her eyes roam over every headmaster as quickly as she could allow herself, wary of being called on her new-found habit and the humiliation that would follow.

Headmaster Haroh looked very similar to Iroh; a similar hairstyle and pudgy, friendly appearance with the exception of his style of clothes and his face shape**.** Whilst Iroh had a broad nose and eyebrows with soft gray-white hair, Haroh's nose was somewhat narrow and his brows were neat and thin. He had salt and pepper hair and a well trimmed goatee, looking much like Master Pian-dao, Sokka's master. His clothes resembled that of the royal family's except that it was a fine black silk and red designs of fire and a dragon were delicately stitched into his robes.

Headmistress Baikei looked very much like Jackie imagined how Toph would look when she was older, though clearly she wasn't blind. Baikei gazed at her with a mischievous smile and a strange twinkle in her emerald eyes, her thick black hair tied in an intricate bun behind her head while her bangs and some locks of hair remained free. Her clothes resembled the clothes Toph had worn to the party King Kuei had thrown for his pet Bear however they were a richer dark green. Light sage colors with soft yellow designs of flowers and a badger mole graced the left sleeve.

Headmaster Kuhar looked like a strange mix of Hakoda and Avatar Kuruk, with his hair tied into fine braids with several beads and a sharp pony tail. In the back of her head, Jackie could hear Sokka saying, "_This is a warrior's wolf-tail_." The thought nearly had her giggling but she squelched the thought sharply before she made a fool of herself. Instead she allowed her eyes to drink inthe rich furs that trimmed the hems of his royal blue robes.

"Welcome Jackie," Headmaster Kuhar greeted, his voice was a shocking bass. A row of goose-bumps ran up her arms and sent a chill down her spine. "We are very glad you have made the decision to joining the Academy. Please, have a seat, the both of you."

Jackie nodded dumbly, her voice gone. Aoi nudged her in the ribs as she passed, forcing the girl out of her silence. Jackie quickly followed as Aoi sat down on her knees, copying the girl as gracefully as she could.

"I am certain that Aoi has informed you of our names and our pet peeves," Kuhar continued, his tone light and friendly. The others smiled or chuckled, as Aoi bowed her head with a smile.

"So we will not bore you with introductions and seeing as how the two of you were a bit late," Jackie fought back a nervous laugh and a wince, "we will get straight to the point. Baikei, if you please…" he trailed off looking at the woman seated next to him with a smile. Baikei's own smirk broadened as she cleared her throat.

"Jacqueline Ortega, you have only recently begun writing fan-fiction seriously, is that correct?" Jackie nodded, suddenly conscious of her heart ramming against her chest. Baikei picked up a manila folder that lay on the mat next to her. Pale, slender fingers slid the file open, the thin material making a gentle whoosh that echoed in Jackie's ears.

"It appears you enjoy shipping almost as much as the next person," Baikei continued, Jackie opened her mouth to speak but a sudden pressure on her back stopped her. Aoi sent her a sideways glare before jerking her chin in the direction of the headmasters. Jackie swallowed before turning her attention back to the woman sitting only a few yards ahead of her.

"It also shows us that you have no particular interest in titles and summaries in general." The headmistress' emerald gaze flashed to Jackie's frozen one, she smiled then almost pleasantly but Jackie felt a chill climb up her spine when a small silence followed.

"What do you think of that, Jacqueline?" Baikei's voice was like a knife, beautiful but with hidden danger on the edges. Jackie realized, with a stark annoyance, that the woman intimidated her terribly.

"I…" Jackie began uncertainly but continued as she reminded herself on the what-to-do's and what-NOT-to-do's she and Aoi went over just a moment before. "I'm afraid I didn't think they were of much importance…"

A collective sigh from the masters had Jackie's palms working up a nervous sweat; her legs tingled and prickled with blood and oncoming numbness from her stiff position on the cushion. Baikei's lips twitched with –what Jackie hoped – was amusement.

"Moving on," The Earth Kingdom woman continued, sliding a paper from the folder to the top, "we realize that your education in grammar and the like is not entirely on par with what we hope to see in the works of aspiring fan-fiction authors, such as yourself. After reviewing your work with all the effort we could muster, Jacqueline, we sent Aoi to bring you here, so that you can avoid posting stories that have not been polished, refurbished, and in a nutshell, fixed entirely."

"We've also noticed you have an unconscious habit of ignoring the spell-checker," Headmaster Haroh chuckled; his baritone took a gentle rasp that reminded Jackie of her Uncle Bruce. "A habit most of our recruits harbor, so that is not terribly alarming. However, you have a tendency to speed through a story, cutting out necessary details and events and going straight to parts of a story that would have been interesting to read but are unbearably disjointed without context. We admonish your choice to ignore the necessary events and details that complete a story and we encourage you to be aware that story telling is not about the end, but about the journey within, around and inside the story itself."

"You are a capable writer, Jackie," Yun Ryang spoke up, her soft voice a comfort. "We know this because you have taken it upon yourself to take the perilous road of the Authors. You will encounter people who will hate you for some of your work and others will criticize you harshly for your style. Even some of the greatest writers have had people flame and shun their work but that is no reason for you to give up, because it is these trials that will make you shine all the brighter."

A warmth filled Jackie's heart at the Air Nomad's words. A smile lit up the young girls face as she bowed once more. "Thank you, Headmasters."

"You are most welcome Jackie," Baikei said graciously, Jackie felt a twinge of annoyance toward the Earthbender but shoved aside when she saw the genuine care in her eyes. "We want you to improve, and for starters you can begin by improving your Zutara fan-fiction. For the moment, do not show anyone else this story. Once you are certain it is a jewel to present to your readers then – and only then – will we encourage you to place it up."

Jackie nodded as she let her eyes wander to every Headmaster before bowing again, "I am most honored."

"We have set up who your teacher will be," Baikei explained, "however you will not find out until after you go to your dorm and introduce yourself to your roommates. Once you leave this room you will be given a chart of the meal times, class times and the like, memorize it quickly; it gets rather hectic when everything is underway."

"I understand," Jackie replied, Baikei's smile broadened before turning to Haroh, the middle aged man nodded to her and then retrieved a folder from his left. "You are aware, Jackie, what is wrong with your story, right?"

The sharp sting of Aoi's criticism returned to her chest, causing her stomach to churn uneasily, "Yes," Jackie said, sighing as she averted her eyes. "Well, why don't you enlighten us?" Haroh's voice trailed an embarrassing blush over her cheeks.

"Uh…" She began, swallowing anxiously, using a shaking finger to stretch the robe from her neck. "Well, like you said, headmasters, I was not consistent with my storytelling." Even though she could not see them she knew they were smiling widely, and it irked her terribly.

"Go on, child." Yun Ryang urged gently, her voice light with mirth. Jackie's face flushed brightly and she bowed her head to hide her humiliation. "There is nothing wrong with admitting to your mistakes."

Jackie tried to swallow but found her throat dry with the oncoming destruction of her work. It was terrifying. Clearing her throat and pushing up whatever dignity she had left, Jackie squared her shoulders, determined, and looked up to the waiting faces of the Headmasters.

* * *

"That was horrible…" Jackie finally groaned, hiding her face in her arms as she sat on a beautifully well kept lawn, the grass soft and cool where they sat. Aoi's amused chuckle met her ears, much to her chagrin, and Jackie further dug her head into her chest, trying – and failing miserably – to disappear.

"It wasn't that bad," Aoi said her voice sounding slightly muffled by, what Jackie guessed, food. It had been time forlunch and Jackie would've been eager to dig into a meal if not for her recent humiliation.

"Trust me. There have been worse pieces of pathetic prose," Aoi continued, sounding clearer. Upon realizing the girl's statement, Jackie groaned loudly before letting her body collapse on the ground. "Oh come on Jackie, look at me. There we go. Now eat your sandwich before one of the lemurs takes it."

Jackie grabbed the thin foil covered sub with a blunt look of disdain but nonetheless unearthed it from its wrapping and took a bite. The taste of the BLT aroused the hunger inside her and Jackie allowed herself two more bites before chewing with contentment. Aoi grinned at seeing the girl enjoy her meal before taking a bite of her own sub.

"Honestly, though," Aoi said, wiping some of the sauce from her lips with a thin napkin. "From what the headmasters said about your work, you are among the brighter side of the spectrum. A few weeks of your lessons and you'll be set."

Jackie sighed, swallowing her sandwich. A breeze blew cool air over them, relieving them of the heat the sun's zenith drove to the ground below. Aoi's whirligig spun several times from its place on her ear before slowing and swinging to achieve equilibrium. The colors were brilliant and flashed wonderfully as the sun's light refracted off its wings. Shaking her gaze from the fascinating contraption Jackie set her mind to the matter at hand.

"Do you really think I can become better?" Jackie asked quietly. Aoi stopped mid-bite looking at the girl before sighing, "The one who decides that is you. We've got you this far," Jackie let her gaze travel over the large building that was the Academy with mixed feelings. "The rest of the journey is up to you."

The walk through the dorms was as fascinating as it was terrifying. Still somewhat wounded by the criticism and overwhelmed with the fact that she was actually here, Jackie followed Aoi silently. Her previous enthusiasm had been replaced with observation as she tried to get her brain to record everything that was being said.

Aoi was chatting up a storm about the dorm rooms and sections, speaking of several sport-like events and activities you could join in to build friendships and help the educational community. Finally they arrived at the room that would be Jackie's home for the next – almost imaginary – four months.

The maple door was graced with an emerald plate that had been engraved with gold the number of her room.

E219.

Jackie gulped as she held on to the many pamphlets and leaflets proclaiming upcoming school events and promotions for clubs and teams. Aoi was finishing a conversation with a group of what Jackie guessed were her fellow students.

"Alright, Ortega," Aoi said as she turned back to the frozen teenager. "Here we are. You still have your card and key?"

Jackie nodded numbly as she held up her key and patted (with as much as she could so as to not drop her load) where her card was. Aoi grinned at her, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder. "You'll do just fine, Jackie. I promise. In time, you'll come to enjoy and love this place as much as the rest of the student body."

Jackie felt her lips twitch as she glanced back at the door. She looked around for a handle but could not find one, she almost panicked. Aoi chuckled, "Here," She raised a hand and pressed her fingers into a groove on the door before sliding it open. Jackie almost frowned, _first the spidery string to shut me up, next she can open locked doors, is this chick a telekinetic…?_

A group of students quickly passed behind her, effectively pushing her into her room before Jackie could voice her thoughts to her enigmatic guide. "Hey!" She exclaimed as she stumbled through the door, and spinning around she saw Aoi give her a casual and friendly salute with a hand before sliding the door shut.

Jackie stood there, staring at the door with disbelief as several of her pamphlets fell to the floor.

"Are you going to stand there all day, Madame Statue?" the voice surprised her and Jackie turned around quickly. Quickly she surveyed the room; it was pretty spacious and could house three people comfortably. Three beds were placed against the walls; right beside the window was a ladder that led to a small cove like room that held three good desks in what she suspected would be a good study area. The walls were painted gentle beige and sage, the beds were a soft emerald and brown. The theme of the Earth Kingdom was also obvious in the curtains that graced the window.

But it wasn't the beds or anything else in the room Jackie would soon learn to admire that caught her attention, nor was it the many posters of bands and people she had never heard or seen that spread on the wall of the current occupied bed.

It was the girl laying on one of the beds to the far left of the room. She was upside down and reading a magazine that she held up in the air. Her hair was short and jet black and styled to cover parts of her face and spike up and around.

The girl sat up, swinging a leg to give her enough momentum to rise. Her eyes had been traced with eyeliner several times and her lips painted a dark red. Her clothes were very much alike to Jackie's own but instead of yellow and vibrant green it was black and emerald. Her sleeves were missing and Jackie quickly realized she must have torn them off and turned the cloth into armlets and gloves.

Her pale skin and dark hair only emphasized the impact of her ice green eyes. The lips twitched into an amused smirk. "Like what you see?"

A blush exploded over Jackie's face again, she looked away, feeling the irritation of being caught in doing what she had told herself not to do skyrocketing.

"My name is Lynx." The girl said, flicking a strand of black hair from her eyes. "I've been here two weeks."

Jackie turned back to the girl with a sheepish smile, "Jackie. Sorry I stared at you. I'm not usually so creepy."

Lynx smiled at her, getting off the bed. "Well, good to hear." Jackie watched as the girl neared her and began to pluck pamphlets out of her arms before discarding them into the garbage bin by the door. Jackie almost began to protest but was cut off.

"You won't need half of these pamphlets, Jack." Lynx said, as she kicked the wall by the bin. It slid open and the bin was tilted towards it. The pamphlets and leaflets thrown inside before the wall closed and the bin returned to its place. "Trust me."

Jackie could not help herself, "You're an earthbender?"

Lynx straightened, looking at her with mild surprise. "A lot of the students are, Jack. Once you arrive you are given the ability to bend."

Excitement brushed inside Jackie's chest, she had always wanted to be an earthbender, before she moved towards the wall and punched. Nothing happened.

Lynx laughed, "Of course not everyone has the ability."

Jackie frowned before trying again and still the movements proceeded to look silly. Crestfallen, Jackie stared at the wall before sighing, "Hey it's alright, roomie." Lynx continued to say as she poked the girl in the arm.

"Some kids don't begin to show signs of bending until several days after their arrival." Jackie looked back at the girl before glancing at the wall with a tiny flare of hope.

"So…what are you in for?" Lynx continued as she sat back down on her bed. Jackie made her way towards a bed and sat down. "The same as everybody else," She retorted with a grunt.

Lynx's smirk widened, "Didn't go so well, did it?"

"I don't take criticism very well." Jackie admitted, as she began to trace a flowery design on her skirt. Lynx's ever so red lips parted to expose pearly white teeth. "I didn't either. I actually figured out I could bend when I was in with the Masters. I was so pissed at what the Baikei woman had said I actually earthbended a rock right at her face."

Jackie's jaw dropped. "You hit one of the headmasters?"

Lynx's grin widened, "Nah. But I was close, though."

Jackie sat back, looking at the girl with new-found awe. "Incredible."

Lynx shrugged before grabbing a water bottle from a nightstand beside her bed. "I'm a shipper myself. I got sent here for a certain lemon I wrote. Are you a Kataanger?"

Jackie snorted with laughter, "You wrote a lemon? I wonder how that review went."

Lynx shrugged again, "It was not as awkward as I had thought it would have been. So…answer the question." Jackie raised a brow with confusion before remembering what the girl had asked.

She smiled and shook her head. "Nah, I'm a Zutarian."

It was as if someone had flipped the switch on the atmosphere. Lynx's face darkened as she looked at Jackie, her red lips tightening. "Really…"

Jackie fought a gulp, "Yeah. I'm totally cool if you're a Kataanger though. I really have no beef with anyone on that side."

Lynx smiled again, but the dark shadow over her gaze didn't lift. "That's cool." She said her tone still a little eerie. Jackie fidgeted with her clothes, unsure on what to do with the sudden change of atmosphere, when the door slid open. She breathed a sigh of relief, albeit a small one, when Lynx looked away.

"Goodness!" Exclaimed the bubbly voice of a girl in bright greens and yellows, her blonde hair was pulled up into two short pigtails, and big spectacles on the bridge of her nose were shoved up closer to her eyes. Pamphlets and leaflets nearly swallowed most of her torso but the bright and radiant smile on her face only made her look like something off the cover of _New Type USA_, Jackie's favorite Anime 'Zine.

"It sure is crowded out there!" She said as she walked in, she shut the door with her foot. "Hey, Lynx," She greeted. "Sorry I'm late, I totally forgot to get you your drink, Aoi had been around earlier and told me she needed me to pass on some messages around for the other Fetchers."

Lynx's expression softened as she looked at the girl, "It's cool, Hannah."

Hannah frowned at her. Jackie almost wanted to hug her, the girl was adorable. "How many times do I have to ask you to call me Maki?" It was then that she noticed their newest addition to the room and the pamphlets all fell to the ground.

Hannah, or rather Maki, looked at Jackie with surprise before exploding into a bright smile and a squeal. "Yay, a new roomie!" Maki exclaimed before charging.

Jackie was ripped off her bed and hugged in such a flourish she didn't know whether or laugh or yelp. "Hi!" Maki gushed, "My name is Hannah but everyone, except Madam Gloomy here, calls me Maki. I'm an avid George shipper and I love romance and fluff!"

Jackie was squeezed one more time before she was completely released, "Uh…" She began, with a nervous smile, "I'm Jackie."

Maki's hands flew to her mouth, "Our names sound alike!" She beamed. Jackie laughed out of reflex, before nodding. "What do you ship? What's your forte and weaknesses and y'know…stuff?" Maki bombarded.

"Uh, I'm a Zutara fan," She began before feeling another jab of shadow from Lynx's side of the room. "I'm a romance and action and adventure writer. I'm not very good with a lot of things…so yeah."

Maki's smile brightened, "That's awesome! I'm sure we'll become fast friends!" the bubbly girl turned to Lynx, "Lynx, did you meet our new roomie?"

Lynx rolled her eyes, "Yah, Hann – Maki. I met her." With that, Lynx lied down on her bed and turned her back on them. Jackie felt her stomach plummet, first day and already she had someone who didn't like her.

Maki seemed undisturbed by her roommate's actions before turning back to the girl in front of her.

"Don't worry about Lynx, she's almost emo."

"Goth." Lynx corrected, unmoving. Maki shrugged.

"Did you already get a tour of the place?"

Jackie nodded, "Yeah, my guide, Aoi, showed me around."

"You know Aoi?" Maki surged, "Isn't she the coolest? She's always being nice to people and stuff. I learned a lot from her!"

Jackie felt her lips twitch as she thought about her guide. She wasn't too sure about the girl. But at the moment she wasn't too fond of her.

"Sure…" Jackie said, shrugging.

Maki grabbed her hand, "Let's get a drink, Jackie! I want to introduce you to a bunch of my friends! Lynx, you coming?"

Lynx threw a quick arm up, flipping them off. Maki shrugged and proceeded to yank their newest addition out the door. Jackie almost didn't have any time at all to respond as she was already being dragged out the door. She spared a last glance at Lynx, the girl's back still facing hers, and she sighed.

The two girls went off, Jackie following Maki as the girl counted down all her friends. _Might as well_…Jackie thought ruefully, before trying to catch up to the bubbly girl ahead of her.

* * *

_Seems like the ball is beginning to roll! If you are interested in having your character had a debut, please send me a private message with your character's information and stuff like that! Info is in the Author's Note!_

_As for the tension between Lynx and Jackie, (because heaven knows someone will get offended) I am not bashing on the character or people who ship Kataang. I am only using this to add more to the character tension and make the story interesting. Plus, this actually happened to me. So...yeah. Get over it. If it makes you feel any better, they'll become friends later on. So yeah._

_Let it rock!_

_Midori Aoi_


	4. Ch3: Every Day Life

_**Midori Aoi: Well, here we are yet again! I do apologize for the tardiness, but juggling work and college homework I've had a short margin of free time, so…yeah. Thanks again to Jillie Rose for beta-ing this chapter! Go send her love, kiddies, this wouldn't be great if it wasn't for her hard work. :D**_

_**To PermanentlyFrozen, RomioneRawrG, PancakeLove, thank you for your characters! Expect their debut somewhere along this chapter. Buahaha!**_

_**Disclaimer: I do not own the Avatar. I'm just using it for a bit.**_

* * *

**The Avatar: TLA Fan-fiction Writer's Academy**

_By Midori Aoi_

**Chapter 3: **

**Every Day Life**

* * *

Jackie wanted to give Maki an award, a large certificate that could be taped to the girl's mouth to shut her up. It had barely been ten minutes of walking through the busy halls and already Maki was beginning to drive Jackie insane.

"Then Sokka goes up to Suki and tells her in this low sultry voice, 'How about you and I make our way off this roof and into my bed?'" Maki gushed, lowering her pitch as much as she could to try to match the character's voice. Taking a right turn they made their way past a less busier hallway, Maki expertly sliding and dodging whatever person walked past them, Jackie would've been impressed by the skill shown, if it wasn't for the urge to silence her.

"Isn't that just sooo sexy? I love that fanfic! It, seriously, must be one of my all time favorites, I absolutely _adore _it." Maki threw her hands to her face, dragging her cheeks down as if to emphasize her adoration. Jackie smiled, despite the ache forming at the base of her skull. Even though she was somewhat annoyed by the girl's ramblings it reminded Jackie of her friend Marissa, who went on similar tirades when talking about good books or movies or…just about anything that she particularly enjoyed.

The memory of Marissa brought a pang of unexpected homesickness. This did not escape Maki's notice, and her gushing speech on the subject of her favorite things skidded to a halt as she spotted the familiar expression on her newest friend's face. "Are you alright, Jackie?"

Jackie's gaze snapped to the blonde, surprised. "What do you mean?"

Maki's wide green gaze softened, "You look homesick." Jackie looked away feeling slightly guilty about her previous thoughts about her current companion.

Jackie shook her head and sighed, "I guess it hasn't really registered I'm living here for the next few months."

"Don't worry, the first few days are the toughest on newcomers," Maki said gently, placing a comforting hand gently on her shoulder. "You'll see, once you meet a few people and get on to classes you'll start feeling at home." Jackie gave Maki an appreciative smile and sighed again.

They began walking again and Jackie brushed her hair from her face, "Thanks, Maki. It's just…this is all happening incredibly fast."

Maki remained silent, a feat that encouraged Jackie to continue, "I mean, one moment I'm home washing the dishes and the next I'm…in another dimension to attend _school_!" She waved her arms at the large building ahead of them, her gaze flying over so many people and characters of her favorite show. "It's hard to believe that this is…for real."

Maki chuckled, "Yeah, trust me. You're not alone in feeling that."

Jackie sighed and ran a hand through her hair, scratching at the back of her head before straightening, "How long have you been here, Maki?"

The girl looked slightly startled by the question, and she pointed at herself absentmindedly. She let out a laugh, "Wow, how long have I been here…?" She trailed off.

Jackie waited for her answer, vaguely realizing it was a while since she's enjoyed a silence in the presence of this chatterbox. Yet her answer did not come as Maki's face brightened when her gaze stopped somewhere outside their conversation.

"Izzy!" the name exploded from the girl's mouth with such loud, joyous abandon, Jackie nearly leapt four feet in the air. It didn't take long to let her breathing return to normal and she could see from the corner of her eye several bystanders turning their attention to the blonde.

Her face burned, embarrassed by the sudden spotlight of attention, "Eh…Maki?" but her newest acquaintance was already flying down the paved walkways with a speed Jackie could only compare to an Olympic medalist.

A quick yelp soon brought more attention to where Maki had charged and Jackie could barely see the girl over her fellow pedestrians. Feeling like she was already gaining attention to herself by just standing there and gaping like a fool, Jackie hurried off to see what all the commotion was about.

She jogged, more than eager to find Maki but also because her nerves needed it. By the time she found the chirpy blonde she was – what Jackie could only describe as – glomping a young woman dressed in the water tribe fashion.

"I missed you, Izzy!" Maki was exclaiming, squeezing the girl tightly despite the puzzled and peculiar stares of bystanders and ongoing pedestrians. Jackie felt the earlier annoyance rise in her gut but she squared her shoulders and continued to walk towards Maki and the poor soul she was currently embarrassing.

"Maki, we've been through this," The young woman, who looked no older than Jackie, sighed as though this was not uncommon conduct from the girl. "You cannot be throwing your arms around me around campus. I'm part of the Faculty, remember?"

Jackie's mouth fell open with a tiny _pop_ and she instantly straightened her shirt – er…tunic. She kept forgetting her _real world_ clothes had disappeared for the garb she was currently wearing. "But School's not currently in session, Izzy! Not until tomorrow's orientation!"

The woman sighed and opened her mouth to retort until she spotted Jackie's still body amongst the moving passerby's.

"Can I help you?" She asked, amiable. Jackie figured she must be used to having new students asking for directions, despite having the magical card that can help them get wherever they want. "Or are you going to keep staring?"

Jackie mentally slapped herself. She shook her head quickly, feeling the inevitable chagrin at being caught in doing the new habit she's been trying to break. "Uh yeah, sorry, I'm Jackie." She tried to push down the heat from her cheeks as she introduced herself.

"I.C," the faculty member introduced, extending a hand and a kind smile despite the blonde girl draped over her. "I'm in the Student Orientation staff this semester. I'm also a teacher assistant, so if you need help you can let me know."

Jackie's eyebrow rose as she took the hand and shook, (a strangely American gesture despite them living in an Asian influenced land) "Thank you…I.C?" She asked and the young woman's smile turned cryptic.

"That's right."

"Oh. Alright," Jackie nodded but felt a smile warm her face, "I see you're Water tribe!"

I.C grinned, nodding, "Yep. I'm also a pretty decent bender." Jackie's eyes bulged, the envy from talking with Lynx returned with a subtle burn in her belly.

"I haven't been able to get my bending yet." I.C's grin faltered, and she nodded.

"Don't worry. Some people are late bloomers when it comes to bending. My oldest brother wasn't able to bend until his third week when he was here."

Despite the repeated encouragement, Jackie still felt a frown crease her brow. Three weeks? Could she even wait that long? Would she even _be here_ that long?

"So, what do you write?" Jackie asked, for the sake of switching topics and also for the tiny hope her newest colleague liked Zutara.

"General stuff," I.C replied. "I'm more into action and all that. Not one for a lot of romance."

Jackie nodded, "So you're not very into shipping right?"

I.C's smile turned sheepish, "I do have my preferences."

This urged Jackie forward, "So…do you like Zutara?"

"I'm pretty fond of it, yeah," Her response was enough to have Jackie beaming with relief. She hadn't caught the sudden edge that was hidden in I.C's voice.

"Great!" Jackie sighed, "I was beginning to worry I was the only Zutarian here!"

I.C laughed, "Oh don't worry, there's quite a lot of Zutara shippers here, and most of us like to keep shipping on the down low, however."

"Kataangers?" Jackie asked, with a wry twist in her mouth. A memory of Lynx's dangerous grin pressed over Jackie's mind.

I.C tilted her head, "Trolls and thankfully the good low level kind but still not quite the pleasant kind. We've been trying to deal with trolling for a while now, but they've gotten smart. They only appear when there's a shipping battle and since no one likes a troll, we've had all shippers sign a contract to keep their heated debates out of the streets and in the Debate Forums. But even then we have trolls sneak in. Thankfully we haven't had any incidents with the creation of any higher Trolls."

Jackie remembered a time she had gotten into a horrid flame war with a troll. The fight had lasted days, every time she'd reply to the troll it would leave her in a foul mood. Looking back on it, Jackie withheld a groan of disgust. Those people bothered her.

"Of course, there are people who stick to their shipping friends, like cliques. The Headmasters don't like it, since it causes such rifts in the student community. They encourage every student to make friends with people of different preferences, to keep it lively." I.C explained, Maki nodded next to her.

Jackie's frown deepened as she thought, "So…has there ever been a Ship wa—", before she could finish the question Maki released I.C with incredible gusto, as if she had been pushed apart or if she had been burned somehow.

"Alas, our parting is such sweet sorrow!" Maki exclaimed, throwing a hand over her eyes and a hand over her chest, "I shall see thee elsewhere, my dearest friend! Ta!" grabbing Jackie's hand, Maki tugged her along running off leaving the water tribe dressed faculty member staring after them with a roll of her blue eyes.

Jackie turned to see the woman disappear behind the moving crowd and yanked her hand out of Maki's. "Maki, what on earth-," She began, confusion and aggravation warring in her tone.

Maki grinned at her, "Sorry, Jackie, but there are some things that shouldn't be brought up."

Jackie's eyebrows flew past her hairline, the confusion further skyrocketed. "Wait, what do you mean by that?"

Maki sighed, "I'll tell you about it later." The incredulous look didn't leave Jackie's face and she kept staring at the girl, Maki laughed. "Don't worry, you'll find out soon enough. Come on, they serve this pretty tasty pomegranate smoothie at the School's store."

Jackie opened her mouth to ask again, but felt her jaw close on its own. Maki had turned and began to lead the girl past the courtyard and towards another building where many chairs and tables hugged the outside. She sighed, threw another glance behind her and followed the strange blonde girl towards the promise of smoothies and hopefully a better explanation.

Despite Maki's promise of an explanation, Jackie never got it. They had gotten their smoothies, (Jackie being pleasantly surprised when she tried pomegranate for the first time) and had made their way back to the dorms. Maki had gotten two extra smoothies and cradled them with her left arm while she chattered and sipped her own smoothie with her right.

The conversation had become very, _very_ one-sided. Jackie would only nod and hum an occasional answer while the blonde blabbered away. In the deep recesses of her mind, Jackie wondered if this was how Azula or Mai felt when they were around Ty Lee…if Ty Lee were ever this bad.

When they reached their dorm the door of Jackie's room was already open. Maki had zipped off to hand a smoothie to a friend she had introduced as Elise. Jackie would've been more attracted to speak to the girl, considering her Freedom Fighter outfit, but she felt strangely lifeless. The thought of a Shipping War occurring here on the campus several… (Years? Months? Who could say) ago, was more present in Jackie's mind than meeting anymore people. Maki's response to her cut-off inquiry had been more than enough to tip Jackie into believing said event had occurred.

The light the large windows of the Dorms let in was dimming with the sunset. The bright hot rays of the sun were mellowing to a softer gold, reminding Jackie the day was almost over. The events of the day all began to hit her in full and a sudden exhaustion pooled over her and her eyelids drooped, she sent a simple wave to Maki and her friend before making her way to her room, the lights were off despite the open door and she pushed it ajar without a care.

She sighed, suddenly craving her own bed and violet covers, for the Bleach and other anime posters over her walls instead of random bands she'd never heard of before. She wondered how her fanfic would have fared had Aoi never appeared in her room with that strange whirligig. If it had really been as atrocious as the Headmasters had agreed it was.

_Would I have gotten any reviews saying it was disastrous? _The bitterness of her failure had her kicking the sliding door close and downing the remains of her smoothie, no longer caring for the tart taste of pomegranate and made her way to her bed.

A sudden moan broke her from her pessimistic train of thoughts and exhaustion and she froze, trying to decipher the source of the sound. She was suddenly very aware of the rustle of clothes and sighing, she hadn't turned on the light so she couldn't make out her surroundings as well as she would've liked.

She waited for her eyes to adjust, refusing to breathe in case there was an intruder in her room. She tried to speak, but the sudden fear that welled into the pit of her gut had choked her voice and left her mouth desert-dry.

She closed her eyes and listened. Another moan and a soft groan met her ears and she snapped her eyes open. Eyes now adjusted to the darkness, Jackie could see with disturbing clarity the intense make-out session between her roommate and a boy dressed in the Fire Nation fashion.

"HOLY SHI-," She screeched before throwing herself as far away as possible. Pandemonium broke loose and whatever moment there was in that room shattered as she heard a cry of shock and indignation. The lights suddenly flared to life and the sound of movement and rustle of clothes as well as shouts of annoyance disoriented Jackie for a moment.

The door slammed open and Maki made her way into the room, the remaining two smoothies she held nearly falling to the ground when Maki realized the situation in an instant. "Jackie!" Maki exclaimed, her eyes wide and aghast.

"JACKIE?" This voice was familiar and it did not make Jackie feel any better. Lynx was currently glowering at her roommate while the young man, no older than fifteen, was gripping at his clothes and trying to hide his face. "What the hell…?"

"Agh, Lynx! Again!" Maki exclaimed, grabbing the young boy by the collar of his rapidly put on-shirt and after dropping the smoothies on top of one of the study desks proceeded to throw him out. Jackie's face burned with shock and another round of humiliation. "How many times have I told you to keep your boy toys out of our room?"

"Oh shove it, Hannah!" Lynx growled, throwing a pillow at her before sitting up, Maki caught it and tossed it back to the Goth. Lynx snatched the pillow and threw it back on the bed, her livid gaze turning back to Jackie.

"_YOU_," Lynx hissed, her dark obsidian eyes burning with irritation. "Haven't you ever learned how to knock?"

Jackie sputtered with indignation, "Haven't you ever heard to shut the freaking door when you're making out with some idiot?"

Lynx's eyes widened for a moment, not expecting the quick snap of the raven haired teen. The shock wore off immediately replaced by another fit of rage, "The door WAS shut, you irritating cow!"

"IT was WIDE open!" Jackie scrambled to her feet, closing the space between her and her younger roommate, "And you call me a cow again, pipsqueak, and we'll see how far I can send you flying through the walls!" Jackie snarled, standing up to her full height, feeling a twist of satisfaction at towering over the younger girl. Lynx's face twisted with violence and she almost lunged at her, Jackie was more than ready to meet her dead on.

"ENOUGH!" A slab of rock shot from the ground between them, Jackie staggered backwards, spinning to find the source. Maki was in a wide horse stance, her right fist high in the air while her left hand was held across her midsection. Shocked silence filled the room and Maki's irritated gaze flipped from Jackie to the other side of the slab, where Lynx was surely sitting.

She sighed before bending the slab back to the ground, the dust of dirt following as Maki jerked her fist down and resumed a normal stance. The anger of before simmered down and Jackie sighed, turning to gaze at Lynx. The younger girl was glaring back at her.

"Honestly, getting into a fight on the first day…" Maki huffed, shaking her head at Jackie. Jackie's face hardened and she crossed her arms over her chest.

"Lynx, the door was open, everyone in the hallway noticed so it's not Jackie's fault." Maki turned, glaring at Lynx. The younger Goth glared at Maki before stubbornly turning away. "We've been through this already, and this is the last warning I'm giving you before I turn you over to the D.A, understood?"

"But–," Lynx begun but was silenced when Maki narrowed her eyes. She scowled before slamming her body over her bed and turning her back on them.

Maki's hard stance softened as she shook her head, "Sorry, Jackie. I should've warned you about Lynx's…hobbies."

The girl made no motion at the phrase, remaining still as if feigning sleep. Jackie heaved a sigh before nodding, "A warning would've been great."

Maki smiled at the girl before nodding apologetically. "I'm sorry this happened. If you'd like to go somewhere else to sleep tonight that would be fine." Jackie shook her head, she was no quitter. If someone was going to move out it would be Lynx, not her.

"No, I'm fine. I'll stay here." She couldn't deny the smirk that spread over her lips when she saw Lynx's body stiffen at the announcement. Maki had turned around towards the large closet where her belongings were, and didn't catch Jackie's smirk.

"Well, it's almost light's out. Lynx, I brought you a smoothie, if you still want it I'm leaving it on your desk." Lynx didn't respond, and continued to act as if she were sleeping. Maki sighed before turning a bright smile towards Jackie, "I'm going to take a shower before bedtime, would you like to join me?"

Jackie glanced back at the prostrate girl, before standing. She wasn't in the mood to stay alone with her any second longer and a shower sounded great. "Yeah, I would like that."

Maki retrieved two towels and bathrobes from the closet before walking across the room and picking up a small basket that carried shampoos and other bath wash. "I forgot to tell you, your stuff is on the far right side of the closet. You can go over it if you'd like to see if everything is cool."

Jackie blinked before rising and heading to the closet. Sure enough she saw clothes, shoes and all articles of clothing that people would wear in this world. How strange, Jackie thought as she let her fingers run through the (correctly sized) clothes. Maki was already making her way outside the room, "Are you ready?"

Jackie snapped out of her daze, grabbed something random from her closet and followed the blonde. Maki began to chatter about something else but the mature and headstrong woman that had stopped a fight from happening inside the room had Jackie suddenly thinking differently. _There's definitely more to this girl than meets the eye, _she thought as they turned a corner.

Suddenly, being here didn't seem as terrible to Jackie as she had thought it was, despite the previous conflict. _Hmm…_ Jackie thought before opening her mouth and replying to something Maki said with a genuine smile.

* * *

_**Well, this is chapter 3! I know, short chapter but I felt it necessary. I know some characters weren't introduced yet or didn't get the introduction I felt they deserved but this will keep going! Thanks for the help! I'll be doing my best in writing the next chapters with a clearer head, so I apologize for the wait!**_

_**I also need a few more teachers. About the applications, I am looking for STUDENTS, TEACHERS, AND FACULTY STAFF. I've been receiving a lot of applications for what would be Characters of the Avatar world, like O.C's. I don't need those, since trying to get them to fit in this world would be a bit…complicated. So instead of giving me a completely new character, I would like someone more from OUR world who has come to learn to better their writing. Alright? Peachy. **_

_**See you guys next time! **_

_**Let it rock!**_


	5. Ch4: This Lemur Will Be The Death of Me

_**Midori Aoi: Hello again! I am back with the fourth chapter of our beloved Academy story.**_

_**In this chapter**_** – Jackie's orientation is underway and in the midst of a tour she makes two new friends, squabbles with her roommate and finds someone who captures her interest. With shockingly inspirational words from the Headmasters things seem to pan out great until Jackie finds herself chasing after a thieving little lemur named Rufio. But at the end of that chase, Jackie discovers a secret she didn't think she's quite ready to deal with. **

_**A/N: Special thanks to ~Alain for catching those little word meshing problems in chapter two! I'm very very grateful for your help! Keep an eye out! I've introduced some characters you guys are bound to recognize! :D**_

_**DISCLAIMER: Avatar: The Last Airbender belongs to Nick Studios!, Bryen Konietzko and Michael Dante DiMartino. All use of the characters and world is for fan use only, thus…you can't sue me if I'm not getting rich.**_

* * *

**The Avatar: TLA Fan-fiction Writer's Academy**

_By Midori Aoi_

**Chapter 4:**

**This Lemur Will Be The Death Of Me**

* * *

There was something comforting about the smell of a different room.

The funk of random laundry from beneath Jackie's bed didn't wake her this morning, and the shouts of her mother from downstairs urging her to get her butt out of bed and into the shower didn't interrupt those precious minutes of post-R.E.M euphoria. Jackie sighed as she snuggled into the soft pillow beneath her head, and clenched at the second pillow she cuddled with her body. She could take all the time in the world and it was bliss.

Of course…it would've been bliss had the poking on her leg and shoulder left her alone.

"She must have been more tired than we thought…" someone spoke above her. A gentle hand shook her shoulder. She dug her face into the pillow, biting the urge to groan. If she stayed quiet, they would probably leave her alone…

"Jackie, wake up." She heard. The shaking increased as she let out an unwilling moan of discontent. It was too early for her bliss to be over! "Jackie, come on. They're going to serve Breakfast in an hour and we're not allowed to bring food into the dorms unless we have something to refrigerate it with."

Jackie could not care less. These precious minutes of unnecessary sleep were what she wanted most right now.

"Jackie…" it was the burst of annoyance in her gut that lead Jackie to guess the assaulter of her relaxation was her newest blonde…friend.

"Ugh," Jackie groaned, tired of fighting the inevitable, "What time is it?"

"It's two hours after sunrise," another voice responded, Jackie opened her eyes in a glare yet she kept her face stuffed on the soft pillow. She did _not_ want to hear _her _this early in the morning. "Hannah, leave it alone. It, clearly, doesn't want to eat. If it starves that's fine with me."

_It…? _Jackie felt her annoyance skyrocket. What did the brat think she was?

"Lynx, for the last time, my name is Maki. Call me, Maki, and just because you had a dispute with _her _yesterday doesn't mean you should enjoy any suffering from her part." Maki's voice was reprimanding yet Jackie could easily tell Lynx wasn't particularly moved to understand. The girl, _clearly, _had enough issues as it was.

"Whatever, _Maki_, I'm leaving. There's only so much of a nasty stench than I can handle." Jackie heard footsteps, then the slide of the door before the slap of wood against wood. Sighing, the brunette exposed her face to the room. The air was cool on her skin after being clamped tight into a warm pillow. She groaned, Maki had opened the blinds, letting in the early morning daylight vibrantly cascade into their room.

"Morning," Maki greeted. Her figure a dark silhouette as the bright light warmed the skin on Jackie's face. Jackie sat up, shading her eyes from the sunlight with a hand.

"Morning…" Jackie replied, blinking fast so her eyes could adjust quicker.

"What's with the bright sunlight?" Jackie groaned, already missing the dark violet drapes of her room that defended her in the wee hours of the morning.

Maki let out a joyous sigh, "You'll need all the Vitamin D you can get Jackie, especially for Orientation."

Jackie grunted, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. Rising with a dramatic effort she moved towards where the large seven-foot long mirror was pressed against the wall just three feet from the foot of her bed. Jackie gasped as she looked at her hair. Bad Hair Day wouldn't describe the disaster over her head, she was suddenly grateful for the lack of Goth in the room. Lynx would make her life miserable.

"My hair," Jackie gaped.

"That's what you get for sleeping on it wet," Maki said. Jackie turned to the girl. The blonde turned around and smiled at her. "I did offer to blow dry it for you."

Jackie sighed, running her fingers through her mane, wincing at the occasional tangles and knots her fingers yanked on. Jackie suddenly regretted placing a quick route to sleep ahead of beauty. She had been too tired and drowsy the night before and the shower only helped her down the path of sleep. Jackie vaguely remembered waving Maki and her hair dryer off as she changed into clean underwear and a night gown before collapsing into her bed and passing out.

"Any chance of fixing my hair," Jackie asked.

"I'm one step ahead of you," Maki stepped behind her with a hair dryer and three different brushes.

The annoyance of before disappeared and Jackie smiled, "Maki you are a life-saver."

"I know," replied the bubbly earth bender with a wide grin.

* * *

"Got your key?"

"Yes,"

"Where's your card?"

"Front left pocket."

"Where's your student I.D?"

"Around my neck," Jackie grabbed the black rope-like necklace around her neck and pulled on it. Aoi's lips pursed as she stared. Jackie sighed before pulling the thing out of her shirt so her I.D was visible.

"Keep it in sight, Ortega." Aoi said as she lead the girl down the open school hallways, a warm breeze played with their hair as Jackie jogged to keep up to her guide. She struggled to pull back rogue strands of hair that curled around her eyelashes and mouth without dropping any of the pamphlets she had gathered on the way to meet Aoi. The older girl only raised a brow at all the papers in Jackie's arms before beginning the onslaught of questions.

After an hour or so of styling and drying, Jackie's hair finally decided to cooperate to Maki's demands and fell into lush waves around her shoulders. Jackie was beaming as she made her way down to breakfast, and managed to get a good meal. It was, easily, the best her hair has ever looked. She only wished she could sport this look in front of her friends back home and hopefully nab herself a boyfriend. Her happy strut was interrupted by a quick messenger who told her to meet up with Aoi in the courtyard by the fountain.

"Fountain?" Jackie had asked. She didn't remember there being a fountain in the courtyard when she and Maki had gone through it on their journey for smoothies. Maki had chuckled at her and told Jackie to use her Map Card to get her there. It took a while but Jackie was able to get it to work. The small card was a technological miracle.

Once she tapped the red triangle in the center it let out a pulse like ripple that activated it, the triangle spun a couple of times in several directions as lines, perpendicular and adjacent to the triangle zoomed in and out before flashing past. Jackie stared in awe as the triangle finally seemed to recognize where she was and greeted her – actually greeted her by _name_– and told her where she was. She must've attracted attention to herself, (a feat she isn't particularly used to) when she was approached by I.C.

The young water tribe woman greeted her as Jackie flipped the card over and over to try and figure out how to place in her destination. "It's activated by speech," The woman said, grinning at her colleague. "You just tell it where you want to go and it'll find you a fast route."

"This thing is incredible!" Jackie exclaimed after she told the card – feeling quite silly while doing so – where she wanted to go. All feelings of folly were quickly pushed aside as the card magnified several lines, the red triangle representing her current location, and a bright green arrow shot out from the triangle, up and around a few of the lines labeled with street names until it settled on her destination.

"It's like one of those touch-screen GPS things my mom keeps talking to me about." Jackie said, more to herself than I.C.

I.C only grinned at her before bowing, "See you later, Jackie. Good luck during Orientation!" Jackie waved back before running off, following the directions of the little technological gizmo in her hands.

"You'll only need to wear it for today," Aoi was saying, snapping Jackie back to the present. "Then you can drop it in a drawer and let it disappear." Jackie glanced at the card that swung bellow her neck with a hint of distaste.

"There will be the initial tour; it will take you down the library and other buildings where classes are and where you will take your different forms of training."

They took a sharp turn right and Jackie nearly crashed into another pedestrian. "Sorry!" Jackie exclaimed as she realized her guide was still walking ahead of her. She bowed quickly towards the fire nation dressed man she bumped into (He quickly bowed back and threw her a small smile) before running after Aoi.

"Wait. Didn't you already give me a tour?" Jackie asked, scrambling behind the guide before throwing a quick glance to see if the man was still there. He wasn't.

"Yes, but this is a professional tour," Aoi explained. "I only managed to barely skim the surface of the entire area. They'll be telling you what every building is about, where to locate it and contact information of all the people you'll need to speak to concerning your classes."

Jackie winced at the thought of classes, even though it wasn't technically school – since she wasn't taking math or science (Thank _God_) – the thought of studying and work during her summer vacation was enough to dampen her spirits. If only slightly. At least she had a chance of meeting her favorite characters, a feat no school in her reality could ever hope to accomplish.

"You said something about having my own personal teacher," Jackie said. "Do you mean I'm only limited to one teacher?"

Aoi smiled, "You'll be assigned one teacher, yes. If your skills were more improved you would be in an actual class your first few weeks." Jackie felt a jab of annoyance at her words, knowing full well that was meant as a tease to her lack of writing skills. Aoi continued on, as if nothing, "The reason behind that is that there are so many of us that have varying skills. Here everyone is a student and teacher. I happen to teach two students. After a while you may be assigned a student to teach, yourself."

Jackie stopped abruptly, vaguely realizing Aoi's whirligig was not in sight before the reality of Aoi's statement crashed over her head. "Me? A teacher? No way."

Aoi didn't wait for her but kept walking, "Everyone contributes to this community, Jackie. You can't just learn something and not give something in return."

Jackie grimaced before running to catch up, chagrined at the thought that this is all she's been doing with Aoi lately. "Of course, there are those who actually have degrees in varying studies, those people with higher education teach classes and groups." Aoi continued. Jackie dodged several more pedestrians, suddenly noticing the surplus in population density.

Little by little the halls began to thicken with people and soon they were pushing through people, Jackie blushing furiously when she'd get distracted by some person's crazy outfit or appearance, nearly costing her sight of Aoi.

Chatter was at a high decibel and Jackie had to shout to get Aoi to wait up for her, Aoi threw her a smile and a wave before disappearing into the crowd. "Good luck!" Aoi's voice traveled with effort but Jackie heard her nonetheless.

An awkward feeling sunk into her stomach as she realized she was really alone this time. Trying not to panic Jackie turned her attention to where everyone was facing. A large stage with four flags decorated in the obvious four nations and a dark podium sat on top. Red and gold with the sharp black Fire Nation insignia, Blue and silver with the white flowing Water Tribe symbol, Green and brown with the beige stone textured crest of the Earth Kingdom, Yellow and Orange with the Air Nomad emblem swirling in goldenrod. She could see a large dais upon the stage and seat cushions, each cushion matching the colors of the Flags correspondingly.

"That must be where the Headmasters will sit." Jackie mused, before letting her gaze fall in the large almost cathedral like building behind it. The large and spacious windows on its roof identified to her the Library. Jackie felt her brow quirk; the building was clearly in the western style despite the Asian influenced series they were studying.

"Anybody tell you, you're quite a space cadet?" Jackie felt her spirits dampen even more. Sighing, she turned to face her less-than-pleasant-roommate.

"What do you want?" Jackie grunted.

Lynx's eyes widened with surprise before narrowing. They stared each other down before Lynx eyed her, "I'm here to clarify something."

"Well, spit it out." Jackie retorted, not lowering her guard around the younger girl.

Lynx's blood red lips pursed with irritation, "I'm not giving you a hard time just because you ship Zutara." She hissed the last word as if it were a curse. This sent Jackie's annoyance up a couple notches.

"Sure doesn't seem like there's any other reason." Jackie snorted, suddenly feeling ridiculous when she couldn't take a more intimidating stance due to the pamphlets in her arms. She didn't drop them though. She'd punch herself before she'd allow herself to look more ridiculous standing in a pool of advertisements in front of the Goth.

"Well, it isn't." Lynx snapped, crossing her arms over her chest. "I could care less if you liked pairing Azula with Zuko or whatever it is you are into," Jackie fought back a sputter of disgust as a blush leaked over her cheeks. _What did this chick take her for?_

"But just keep it clear, I don't have to like you just because we're living with each other. You stay out of my way and I'll stay out of yours." Lynx said, her green gaze sharp as she stared into Jackie's eyes.

Jackie fought the urge to roll her eyes, "Fine."

Lynx gave her a quick nod before grudgingly extending a hand towards her. Jackie flinched warily; ready to drop the pamphlets if the need came to fight, but Lynx didn't drop her hand as she stared at Jackie patiently. Jackie extended her hand after a few seconds of appraisal (and maneuvering her hands so the pamphlets didn't all scatter from her hold.) their hands met in a quick yet firm shake, Lynx gripped Jackie's hand and it took some effort for her not to flinch at the girl's surprisingly cold hold.

Something glinted in Lynx's eyes, something that suddenly made Jackie not so sure about this arrangement, but before she could think more of it, a loud melody blared over the court yard, silencing the loud chatter of before. Lynx's hand disappeared from Jackie's leaving only a strange cool feeling as warmth began to flow into her palm as she turned to look at the stage. There stood a fire nation man, the very same man she had bumped into earlier, with what she could only identify as a sungi horn. He lowered it from his lips and grinned at the crowd, his teeth bright and contrasting from the dark beard on his chin. He was thickly built and looked several years older than Jackie.

"Presenting The Headmasters of The Academy, All BOW!" He announced, his voice booming over the courtyard.

Around her people bowed slightly and Jackie followed, glancing to her right to see if Lynx was doing the same but the girl had disappeared. Before Jackie had a chance to look for her the fire nation man played the sungi horn once more before bowing. She looked up from her bow and saw the headmasters file in, each to their station yet Head Master Haroh moved towards the podium, a bright smile lit his face and suddenly all Jackie could think of as she straightened from her bow was how much Haroh looked like Sean Bean and she wondered why she didn't make such a connection before.

"Boromir…" Jackie murmured, but quickly shut her mouth when a girl dressed in the freedom fighter outfit turned to grin at her. Jackie brightened at recognizing her face. She had been the girl Maki had tried to introduce to her the night before. Elise, if Jackie remembered correctly, waved at her with a bright smile before turning back to facing the headmaster. Jackie smiled to herself, suddenly glad she had met this girl.

"You have all been called here in celebration of a decision you made in our home dimension!" Haroh called out. Jackie couldn't shake off the image of The Lord of The Rings' Boromir as he spoke. Even though he reminded her awfully of her Uncle Bruce, the similarity to the actor that played the Steward of Gondor's prized son was incredibly astonishing.

"The decision for improvement," Haroh continued, extending his arms wide as if beckoning a welcome hug, "The decision for change and a desire to become better writers and authors." He paused for a moment as his amber gaze pierced the crowd with warmth only someone who truly loved their people could pull off.

"We are all storytellers," He continued, "Weavers of words and tales both real and fictional. We are they whose imagination cannot be summarized with titles and standardized tests. We are they whose ability to become immortal through our works is undying and as bright as the sun in our sky.

"Whatever meager or humble beginnings we were raised from we are here because we have no fear of the future. We are here because we are not afraid to leave an imprint of ourselves in history. Long after we die we will be remembered by our works and the numbers of people who will read and treasure our works are unimaginable." It was then that Jackie swore Haroh looked at her. His gaze was unreal, filled with such a flame and determined joy it stole her breath.

"However not all of us will be truly great," He said before breaking his hold on her gaze, "Many of us will forsake this ability to strengthen other equally important talents and skills our world needs. Many of our works will vanish before we do and the books we will slave into writing could very well be tossed into a furnace to warm someone in their cabin on a cold winter's night." The hush over the courtyard was powerful as the Head Master of Fire continued his bewitching speech. A sudden bubble of hope and power filled Jackie in her chest, surprising her.

"Others, those who do not care over the temporal lashings of criticism and the fear of being forgotten, will rise above the rest. You, who have this courage, will overcome all manner of tribulation because it is this courage that will give you the wings that immortalize you in our world. You will rise and become one of the Great and Noble ones whose stories will light beacons of hope and inspiration into the next generation of storytellers and tale weavers. Yet, you cannot do it alone." Haroh placed his hands on the podium, gazing into the eyes of the crowd before him.

"You are here to grasp the rules that will give these stories life. You are here to learn that the words you use are not just pieces of language thrown to express an idea or thought but the details in a work of art that could very well change the life of whoever reads them. You are here to appreciate the language you speak and to use it to your advantage. Use it in a way that will paint the image of your minds into a canvas no one else can fill but you." Haroh stopped, his hands pressing against the pulpit of the large podium before him. Jackie could not remove her gaze from the Headmaster as he stared off into the distance with a look that must be nostalgia and…something else.

He looked up and no one moved, still as they listened. A sudden breeze blew towards them, pushing Haroh's clothing towards them, as if it were the very words he spoke that commanded such a breeze to reach them all.

"We are all artists with promise and potential. I invite you all to pick up your pens and swords and ready your minds for what you are here to learn and accept. Look around you, for there are people here who wish nothing more than to aid you in this journey to better yourself, for the world of the Writers is a world where mutualism benefits all with absolutely no drawbacks and so, I complete this speech with a promise," Haroh trailed off, the other headmasters stood to stand by him.

"Your journey here is destined to you," They all chorused, "If you rise to meet it, you will change the world."

A silence followed their voices as their echoes came and went. The sound of rain suddenly exploded around Jackie and she snapped out of her trance, to see if it truly began to pour. The skies above her were clear and blue and it took her a moment to realize it was not thunderous rain but the clapping of the students around her. Her hands rose and slapped against each other with sudden ferocity, no longer really caring about the pamphlets in her arms. The trance of before was broken as she suddenly found herself truly admiring the man that stood before them all. Of all things Jackie didn't expect, it was this sudden desire to fulfill this man's expectations of her that was most welcome in her heart.

Her eyes moistened with tears yet she quickly wiped them away before continuing to clap. The headmasters bowed to them and then left the same way they arrived. The fire nation man returned with a wide grin and a wave, "Students if you could please head towards the flags of the houses you were assigned we will begin the touring now…" his voice trailed off as Jackie let out a contented sigh.

"That was quite something, huh?" Jackie looked to meet the smiling gaze of the freedom fighter girl.

Jackie nodded with a grin, "It certainly was," she said.

The girl extended a hand in camaraderie, "My name is Elise, Maki introduced us if only shortly."

"Jackie," Jackie replied, shaking the hand with a gently quivering hand. The words of the speech continued to echo in her chest and mind as she smiled at her newest acquaintance.

"It's a pleasure to meet you." Elise grinned, gray almost cyan shaded eyes twinkling with excitement.

"This is insane," Jackie breathed as the mob surrounding them moved towards their perspective groups.

"I know. It's hard to believe it is actually happening." Elise agreed, running a hand through her short, messy brown hair.

They walked together as they headed towards the large E.K flag. "You realize you don't need all of those, right?" Elise said as she pointed at the many pamphlets in Jackie's arms. Jackie gave a nervous laugh as she looked at all the papers she had gathered.

"Yeah," Jackie said, "I know. I just can't help it when someone offers me something I just…take it."

"Really?" Elise asked. Her eyes wide with wonder and Jackie barely caught the hint of mischief. "So if someone offered you some drugs…"

Jackie sputtered with surprise, "No! I wouldn't just grab _anything_—" Jackie stopped as Elise let out a bright laugh.

"I'm just kidding, Jack."

Jackie hesitated at the nickname, her mind instantly going to Lynx. She forced down the initial distaste of the girl when she remembered their …truce… from earlier. _It's no big deal now, _she thought, _as long as she keeps true to her word and I keep true to mine._

"Here," Elise said, reaching towards some of the pamphlets. Jackie let her take them with a sheepish grin. "I'll go take care of these. Go get in line and save me a spot, and try not to take any more pamphlets while I'm gone."

Jackie nodded with a laugh, "Sure thing!" the two split up and Jackie turned. She jogged through the spaces between people and dodged around the mob of people dressed in a repetitive blue, yellow, green, and red. She had bumped into people several times as she tried to dodge around, very much how she had seen Aoi do it when she had first arrived.

"Hey, watch it!" Jackie heard when she bumped into someone the fifth time.

"Sorry," Jackie quickly amended, turning to wave off someone. Jackie was met with a glare and a cross of the arms by a girl with a long black braid that swayed below her waist. Her clothes were similar to Toph's except the lower part of the tunic resembled a skirt and she wore light green pants underneath the forest green tunic. She didn't wear sleeves where Toph did and the insignia of the Earth Kingdom was in strong gold stitching on her chest.

"You in a big hurry, hun, or am I really easy on the eyes?" the girl asked, looking her up and down with raised eyebrows.

Jackie mentally kicked herself for what seemed like the millionth time. _This is getting ridiculous._ She thought furiously before composing herself, "Sorry, I didn't mean to stare. I just want to get to the line."

The girl tilted her head before glancing behind her, "There isn't a line. You'll be set up in a group based on the last few numbers on your I.D card."

Jackie glanced down at the thing around her neck. _So that's why Aoi said I needed it…_She thought before looking at it. "Four, thirty-two…" Jackie muttered.

The girl in front of her let out a thin noise through her noise and Jackie saw a smile on her face, "I've got four thirty three. We're probably in the same group." She extended a hand to Jackie and Jackie was suddenly very grateful for Elise for taking those pamphlets from her arms. Jackie caught the girl's hand with a gentle clap and the girl shook firmly, very differently from Jackie's previous hand shake with her roommate.

"The name's Mae Ling, I got in a few days ago." The short stocky girl introduced herself.

Jackie nodded as she remembered it. "I'm Jackie, I just got in yesterday."

Mae Ling brightened at the news before smiling widely, "Really? So, what did you do wrong to get here?"

Jackie rubbed at the back of her neck, embarrassed. "It was my whole story that was wrong."

Mae Ling let out a low whistle, "Yikes. That's no bueno, dear."

Jackie hid a wince before laughing sheepishly, "Yeah, so I've gathered. How about you, what are you in here for?"

Mae Ling shrugged, nonchalant. "Eh, you know…stuff." Jackie couldn't help it, tilting her head she repeated the younger girl.

"…stuff?"

The fifteen-year old grinned, "Well, my younger brother and I like to co-write a lot of stuff together. I mostly do it because I like us working together, Lee only does it so he can get ahead in his English classes at his school. He's a pretty ambitious brat."

Jackie smiled, "Is your brother here with you?"

Mae Ling nodded before glancing around, "Yeah…he was here just a moment ago. We should be getting in the same group…"

"Hey, Jackie!" They heard behind them to see Elise pushing through some people to stop before them.

"You sure know how to get lost." Elise chuckled, before looking at the newest addition. "Oh, hey, didn't see you there! Wow, you're pretty short! I'm Elise."

They shook hands. Mae Ling scowled if only slightly at the short comment but let it slide. "Mae Ling, I've been here for a few days now."

Elise nodded with a smile, "I've been here almost two whole weeks. I'm pretty excited! You into Kataang?"

The dark brunette brightened exponentially, "Yeah, I am." Jackie felt her stomach drop slightly, more with nervousness than actual disappointment at being once again a lone-Zutarian.

Elise smile broadened, "Cool! I'm a Kataanger, myself." The anxiety boomed in her stomach when the two girls looked at her expectantly, "How about you, Jackie?" Elise jerked her chin, her smile beaming.

Jackie rubbed the back of her neck with a nervous chuckle, "I'm actually into…Zutara." Jackie braced herself for the frowns and drops of good-nature. Yet both Elise and Mae Ling nodded, their previous brightness dimming only slightly but the smiles didn't deter from their enthusiasm much to Jackie's relief.

"Sweetness, I have a few friends who are into Zutara," Elise said, Jackie visibly relaxed at her words. "I honestly don't see the logic in it though." Elise rolled her eyes but her good-natured reaction made Jackie suddenly feel extremely at home with the two other girls instead of the irritation and anxiety she felt around Lynx.

"I'm not particularly crazy about Kataang either but it's not too bad, I guess." Jackie added her two cents' worth. The girls grinned at her and Jackie was glad that their shipping preferences weren't getting in the way of their budding camaraderie.

A sudden surge in the crowd pushed the three girls forward and they proceeded to chat about other appeals and other shows they shared interest in. "I love House!" Elise gushed after Jackie mentioned it in her list of favorite shows.

Mae Ling perked up as well, "Is that the show with Hugh Laurie and the doctors?"

Jackie and Elise nodded vigorously, as Mae Ling also expressed a like towards the TV drama. "It's pretty intense," Jackie said as they moved, feeling the lightness of this moment fill her and light her smile.

"I.D's with the last three numbers four hundred and twenty five through four hundred and forty please step to the dais and gather your orientation documents and complimentary bag!" A voice announced from ahead and Jackie and Mae Ling grinned at each other before glancing at Elise, she let out a great sigh of relief.

"Whew," Elise laughed as she showed them her I.D, "what a close call!" Jackie felt her relief mirror the girl, as they saw her last numbers were 440.

"What luck!" Mae Ling beamed, "We're in the same group together!" The three girls high-fived and made their way to the dais and saw several stacks of papers, notepads and pens as well as small mountains of green sacks for them to place whatever they gathered in one convenient place. Mae Ling paused behind them for a moment, her gaze scanning the crowd slightly frantic.

Jackie neared her, an eyebrow quirked in question. "What's the matter, Mae?"

The shorter girl didn't meet Jackie's gaze as she continued to search, "Well, I thought my brother would be in our group, but I honestly can't see him. I hope he didn't get lost..." Mae Ling stood on the tips of her toes as she tried to see above the taller people around them.

Jackie turned to try to help, "Kay, how does he look like?"

"He's taller than me," She began as she tried to find a better place to search, "Really messy long hair, a bit lanky, he's got a pretty huge smile and one of his lower teeth is missing...that cocky little brat," She huffed, her brow furrowing with the annoyance only an older sister endures.

Jackie wouldn't understand very much, she was an only child and the closest thing she had for a little sister was her irritating younger cousin Eliza Ann. They weren't very close.

They searched around, trying not to stray too far from the line; Elise neared them as they started to grab what was on the table. "What's going on? You guys lose a ghost?"

Jackie's nose wrinkled at the peculiar phrase but shook her head, "We're looking for Mae's little brother-,"

Mae Ling cut in with a quick "–more like _Bother!_"

Jackie ignored her and continued,_ "-_Lee." Jackie explained, grinning at Mae's frustrated expression.

Elise's eyebrows rose in awareness before a quick smile lit her face, "No worries there, I'm thinking. He's probably assigned to another tour group, Mae."

Mae Ling sighed, somewhat appeased. "Yeah, I guess so. Still, he should've told me! Not just wandered off! I swear when I get my hands on him..." She trailed off, bright hazel eyes flashing dangerously.

Jackie laughed, "Don't worry, we'll find him after the tour, and when we do you can torture him all you want." Mae Ling smiled at them, throwing a last quick glance over the crowd before following them down the table to get what was offered.

After they gathered what was necessary (Elise had to grab Jackie her things to help her not gather too many unnecessary papers and pamphlets, much to Jackie's embarrassment.) they moved along with the people in their group towards a young woman standing by a stand with a poster that had 425-440 written in black.

She grinned at them, an amiable gap in her front two teeth that reminded Jackie of Meng. She had long flowing brown hair that was tied at the end with a green ribbon, tan skin, brown eyes and an outfit similar to Aoi's yet it was darker green and had a light green sash instead of yellow around the waist. She wore no shorts of pants under, preferring her legs to go bare much to the delight of some of the men around, and simple black flats.

"Yo," the woman greeted, lifting up to fingers in a casual salute reminding Jackie of her previous guide. "My name is Yun Kim, but you can call me Kim, for short." Yun Kim announced, her smile was wide and warm and she urged them forward. "I'm going to guide you through most of the Earth Buildings and around campus, we're going to take a lunch break in an hour and then from there we'll start off some activities!"

Jackie exchanged smiles with the two girls beside her and began to follow the crowd as Kim moved them ahead. "I will be offering prizes such as T-shirts and other merch if you guys answer questions and keep up with me!" Kim grinned as they walked down the trail leading towards the dorms, the trees around them casting leave-like shadows as the sunlight filtered above them.

Jackie was pretty excited as the moved. They traveled through the dorms and food stands, moving at an easy pace as people bought quick snacks before lunch. As they made their way past the dorms they began to pass through other buildings where classes will be held.

"As you can see we are a vastly large community and since we all strive to learn, we like to keep teaching and learning to be balanced." Kim announced as they made their way through buildings in all manner of architecture, leaving Jackie a lot to take in.

"That means most students here are teachers and teachers are students." Kim explained. Jackie was not surprised as Aoi had already explained this much however people still had questions. Kim perked up at the sight of a hand, her smile widening as she pointed at the person. It was a young man with hair that reached his neck so strikingly black it accented his pale skin and his gaze, a piercing onyx black.

"Is everybody assigned to a student?" he asked. His voice held a smooth baritone that sent chills up Jackie's back. Elise and Mae Ling whispering to each other excitedly and with coy smiles, Jackie smiled remembering the similar action her friends back at home would do when they passed by a hot guy.

Kim smiled, undeterred by his attractiveness, "Most people are once they have passed certain requirements, yet there are some who can choose to opt out from taking in a student but they are expected to return service in some other way."

He nodded and they continued to move, Jackie throwing another glance at him but quickly averting her gaze when their eyes met for a small instant. She had never been good at approaching the opposite sex, much less someone that had a high level of attraction. Suddenly, Jackie felt self-conscious, the nagging feeling on the back of her head prompting her to see if he was looking at her or not.

Up and down they walked through hallways, noticing that in many classrooms there were usually one or two seats but Jackie could not really see what was in the rooms as they moved quickly through the buildings. Kim had them rotate around so that those who spent time in front of the group would move to the back and those in the middle would move to the front and so on and so forth.

They had gotten around for a while, the sun's light moving higher and higher into the sky as they went along. They had past some of the recreation areas, several trails that head from campus to beautiful clearings already inhabited by older students and characters of the show that were either studying or meditating when Jackie's stomach rumbled.

Being at the front of the group, Kim had caught the sound and grinned at Jackie as the girl blushed furiously. Elise nudged her side with a smirk and Jackie tried to hide her face with her hair.

"Alright, folks," Kim called out as they made their way back towards the buildings, "We're off for lunch! We'll be going to the cafeteria in the second floor of the Fire Building, since it's pretty cool. However there are several restaurants and shops around your dorms and around the buildings. All you need is your map card to get there." Kim said cheerily, sending Jackie a wink.

As they made their way back to the buildings, Kim turned a right down one of the main streets and led the group to a large community bathroom.

"Alright, people," She called out, "We'll be taking a quick bathroom break before lunch and the rest of the tour. I don't care if you don't need to go now," She lifted a hand to stop any oncoming protests, "Just go empty your bladder right now before we go somewhere where there is no restroom. And I will NOT allow anyone to go on any tree or bush in this tour. Am I clear?"

Scattered sounds of agreement reached the tour guide and she smiled, urging them forward. Jackie grabbed whatever she had in her pockets, namely her card, room key and other things she thought to bring along, and shoved them in her bag. "I've got to go," She thrust her items into Elise's open arms, jerking a thumb towards the bathrooms.

Elise nodded, "Gotcha covered," she grinned.

Jackie flashed a quick smile before turning and heading to relieve herself. The next few minutes went unbothered, until a bright squeal erupted from outside the bathrooms. Jackie quickly dried her hands and rushed out, curious. Several other women of the group followed her and all let out a gasp at the sight before them.

On top of Mae Ling's head and resting on her shoulder was a flying lemur. Mae Ling bearing a wide grin but her eyes held a small guarded look, as if unsure what to do aside from letting the animal do what it wanted.

"Look at it!" One of the women gushed, "It's so adorable!"

"I've always wanted to touch one!" another exclaimed.

"Some people get all the luck," the first exclaimed, pouting at Mae's apparent luck.

Jackie moved quickly to sit by Mae, but the lemur let out a loud squeak before spinning around Mae Ling's neck, rushing around her torso to appear behind her back, peering out at its spectators with wide blue eyes. Mae Ling laughed, her hands grasping at her sides, the tiny creature's hands obviously grasping at several ticklish spots before she could help it.

"Does this usually happen?" Someone asked, and Kim's voice drifted with a laugh.

"Yeah, they're quite the invasive creatures, the little buggers. I forgot to mention they like to jump on people."

Jackie watched the small flying primate search Mae Ling's hair and braid for crawling treats with chattering and sniffing noises. Mae Ling giggled; clearly pleased she was chosen by the mythical little beast. Elise, having been the one to let out the squeal was already sitting by Mae Ling, Jackie's bag lay discarded by their feet, offering a small ball of what looked like candy.

The little lemur eyed the object before snatching it in its paws and smelling it. It shoved it in its mouth before chewing with great pleasure. Elise lifted a hand to pet it, a wide smile on her lips. The monkey looked at her hand, eyeing it as it twisted its head this way and that, Elise hesitated and let the lemur investigate her hand.

Soon the little thing had her hand in its paws, looking through her fingers and licking at her palm where whatever sweet residue was left by the candy she had given it. Elise let out a delighted laughed before letting the creature at its business. Feeling left out quite enough Jackie moved in cautiously, wanting to get a hand in as well.

"You think it's a good idea to feed it candy?" She asked with a hint of mischief at Elise. The freedom fighter clad young girl grinned sheepishly at her, "Kim isn't saying anything to the contrary."

"Alright people!" Kim exclaimed, gaining the attention of her group. "If you are quite done ogling the flying lemurs I say we continue what we started. Let's head out!" and with that the group began to follow their tour guide, some hesitant and not quite ready to part with the fictional animal.

Mae Ling looked brightly up at the two girls, "Think they'd have a problem if we kept the little one?"

Elise pursed her lips in thought, scratching the lemur behind the ears. It purred with satisfaction and leaned into her touch. "I dunno," she offered. "I don't remember anything in their manual about keeping pets."

"You bothered to read the manual?" Jackie teased.

Elise stuck out her tongue out at her. "…I skimmed it." She grinned.

The three girls laughed before beginning to follow the crowd, Jackie quickly snatching her bag from the ground and threw it over her shoulders. "We should name it," Mae Ling said, eyeing the lemur with a look of tenderness. "What do you think of Kojiro?"

Elise wrinkled her nose, "Kojiro? That's much too serious for this dude."

"Hey," Jackie spoke up, "How about Rufio?"

"Like from Hook?" Elise beamed as Mae Ling let out a laugh.

"Why not?" Jackie shrugged, "Look at his hair!" pointing, the girls eyed the unruly scruff of fur that stuck out over the creature's head.

"You know, I actually kind of see it," Mae Ling muttered.

Elise laughed brightly, agreeing. "But wait. Is it a boy or a girl?" Jackie asked.

"Whoa there, I'm not going to look under its legs to see." Elise lifted her hands, backing off. Mae Ling rolled her eyes at the girl. Jackie lifted a hand to pet the creature but the little animal avoided her touch with a wrinkle of its nose. Slightly disheartened she tried to pet it again.

"Hey, maybe if you gave it food it'll let you touch it." Elise suggested. Jackie brightened, taking her bag off her shoulders.

"Maybe I've got some leftovers here," she said, opening the flap on a search, hoping she had remembered to put in her leftovers from breakfast in there. "What do you say, Rufio?" Jackie said to the watching animal, ignoring the pointed stare from Mae Ling, "You like apple turnovers?"

Yet the moment her hand went to search any other pockets, the lemur pounced, clearly putting two and two together. In a second the little thing had her bag in its clutches and flying off.

"I guess he does like Apple turnovers," Elise said, staring in wonder at the flying thing.

"Hey!" Jackie shouted at the escaping beast, "That's mine!" Jackie growled a curse under her breath before giving chase.

"Maybe Rufio is a good name," Elise wondered out loud, Mae Ling pushed the other girl playfully before looking towards Jackie.

"Jackie! We're not supposed to separate from the group!"

"My map card is in there!" Jackie shouted over her shoulder, dodging a bench as she ran.

"Jackie!" Mae Ling's voice was farther now.

"Don't worry! You guys go on ahead, once I get my card I'll find you!" Whatever response they had vanished as Jackie turned around a few trees, barely brushing past students wearing air nomad attire.

"Hey!" one of them shouted when Jackie barely managed not to barrel into one of them.

"Sorry!" She cried before continuing to follow the flying white and black form of Rufio.

"Give me back my bag, you little thief!" Jackie shouted, trying not to pant too hard between words. "I lied! I didn't have any apple turnovers in my bag!" She cried out, hoping the little lemur would understand and give back her bag. No such luck.

It turned right and Jackie followed, cutting through grass and trees, trying to keep an eye over the speedy little thief under the canopy of the trees. Flashes of white and black teased her from above the leaves, yet Jackie was not one to give up.

"Watch out!" She heard before she tripped over a set of stairs that lead to a wide clearing. In an instant Jackie was airborne, caught off guard by the lack of ground beneath her feet.

"Gyah!" She let out a strangled cry before landing on the grass of the slope of the hill the stone stairs led to. Above her the lemur swooped down by her, the bright green bag just inches from her outstretched hand. Gravity yanked her to the ground and she landed, her right ankle letting out a painful _pop_ when she landed.

Crying out she felt her shoulder collide with the ground, the momentum carrying her down several rolls before she landed face first at the base of the hill. Bruised, disoriented and thoroughly pissed off, Jackie let out a shout of frustration. Lifting herself quickly from the ground she saw Rufio flap several feet above her, watching her with wide and curious eyes.

"You give me back my bag, now!" She shouted, lifting up a fist in warning. The lemur blinked at her, unfazed before turning and flying off. "Hey!" She cried again, pulling herself up. White hot pain shot up her ankle towards her hip and Jackie nearly fell down again.

Forcing herself up, Jackie suddenly remembered Aoi's warning. _Don't lose these…_

Heaving a big breath Jackie lurched forward, relieved her ankle didn't protest louder than an ache. _Thank heavens for adrenaline. _She thought before taking off after the annoying little beast.

She crossed the clearing with determined speed, pushing past its boundaries and through large and thick trees, much thicker than the ones that decorated most of the space of the school grounds. Around her she heard the chattering of lemurs and calls of birds, yet she did not allow herself to get distracted. Searching desperately for the lemur that carried her bag, she marched on.

"Where did he go?" She growled, narrowing her eyes as she scanned the area. _THERE!_ Bright rays of sunlight pierced through the thick canopy of above, flushing over the bright coat of Rufio's back. The light bounced off, giving him an ephemeral glow, his eyes flashing with surprise. A flash of green beneath Rufio's stare was enough for Jackie. There in its little hands was the bag and it was still unopened.

Before she could feel relief Jackie took off, her feet rolling off the ground with the experience of a runner. "Ha!" She shouted, as she neared the lemur, though in hindsight she would've kept quiet instead of crying out the victorious shout.

Spooked, Rufio took off again, Jackie's bag gripped in his hind paw. Snarling in annoyance Jackie sped up, outstretching a hand to grab the bag. Dodging trees, bushes and many fallen flora, Jackie breathed steadily, forcing her body to go faster. Rufio let out a squeak of surprise when Jackie slapped at his tail, before flapping his arms faster and pushing himself through the air.

"Almost… there!" She exclaimed, feeling victory's relieving caress push her past her limits. Panting heavily she let out a leap. Her hand reaching for the bag but instead grabbed the next best thing.

The lemur squawked, Jackie's hand clutched around his tail. "YES!" She shouted before realizing she had leapt over a stump and straight into another slope of a much larger hill. The slope was littered with rocks and boulders, sticks and old branches.

Pain became a constant companion as they tumbled down the hill. Jackie pulled the lemur deep into her chest, cradling the animal from most of the damage. Letting out yelps and many cries from the fall and damage she received, Jackie squeezed her eyes shut, gritting her teeth as her back, shoulders, legs, arms and face was attacked by rocks.

The onslaught of pain and rocks quickly ended as they reached the base of the hill. The two remained still for a while, Jackie trying to will the pain away as she felt the small animal's pulse beat erratically beneath her hands.

"Ow…" she croaked. _The understatement of the century…_She thought to herself, miserably. Looking down at the lemur in her hands, she was pleased to see the little animal suffered no severe injury other than the scare of its life. Its grip clutched at her clothes before suddenly trying to break free.

"Hey!" She yelled at it, the animal froze. "Show some appreciation. I just saved your life." _More like placed you in danger…_ came the sarcastic thought but she shook it off. Sitting up, she loosened her hold on Rufio. The little animal, surprisingly enough didn't move from her hold. Instead it eyed her before climbing up her shoulder and grabbing on to her head. "You okay?" Jackie asked, the little creature let out a familiar gurgle she thought she would only hear come from Momo.

Smiling, she pulled herself up. Wincing, Jackie looked around. Her clothes were dirtied beyond belief. She could hardly imagine how bad her hair looked right now. All that work and effort…

Sighing she tested her limbs. Scratched and definitely bruised Jackie was at least relieved she didn't break anything. Her ribs ached as she breathed but no severe pain. Surveying her surroundings, Jackie looked up the hill, seeing it was not so steep to climb. They had landed in a small clearing, surrounded by trees and nothing else.

"Seems like you lead me way past the boundaries of the school," She muttered to Rufio. The animal's tail curled around her arm in response.

"Now where's my…?" She trailed off. Her eyes searching for the bag the lemur had stolen and led them to this place. Her eyes brightened when she saw a flash of bright green amongst the more toned down emeralds, browns and yellows of her surroundings. There, lying by a large boulder, (and feeling rather grateful they managed to dodge that obstacle during the fall) was her bag, bright green and covered in dirt.

She sighed in relief, "Alright, all we need is to get my map card and we can get back."

Rising up, Jackie let out a hiss, her ankle throbbing now that she placed her weight on it. Now that the adrenaline of the chase wore off her body was responding to the abuse she had put it through. Painful throbbing and aches rippled all over her body. Her wrist was aching more so like her ankle and she wondered how many more injuries she was sustaining. Lifting her opposite hand to wipe sweat off her forehead Jackie let out a groan of irritation to see the back of her hand stained with blood.

Gingerly checking her forehead Jackie found a large gash right at her hairline, blood dripping like perspiration rather than in heavy drops told her the gash wasn't as serious as it seemed. It didn't throb and ache very much, only stung where she touched it.

Giving her body a good check up now, she saw she had several more gashes where her skin was exposed. Her arms, face, and legs were sporting several minor cuts and abrasions. "I probably look like I just survived a war zone." She muttered bitterly.

Sighing she limped towards the bag, pleased at least that her ankle was letting her get that far. Snatching the bright green satchel from the ground she dug into it, her hands pushing past the notebooks and other notepads and pamphlets she had stuffed into it before leaving. Finally her hand touched the cool and thin plastic-like card that would help her figure out her location.

Bringing it up, Jackie felt relief cool whatever anxiety had formed since discovering her injuries. There was not a scratch upon its smooth surface, and without hesitation she tapped the red triangle at its center.

It pulsed before the words, "_Greetings, Jacqueline_," inked their way through the screen. Her lips twisted in a wry smile, silently wishing it just called her "Jackie" to save time.

Soon her name disappeared, and several lines that indicated the streets of the campus flashed around, the triangle spinning this way and that, and Jackie suddenly felt an epiphany merge over her head as she thought of Aoi's spinning multi-colored whirligig. Yet it was cut off when the triangle ceased in its rotations and pulsed one more time. A red glow rippling from the little figure before the next few words inked out.

_Unauthorized Location_

Jackie scowled, tapping the triangle several times, the message rewriting itself in the neat yet upstanding letters. "How do I get out of here?" She spoke swatting Rufio's reaching paws from grabbing the blinking card.

The words only pulsed along with the triangle before she sighed. Running a hand over her face, wincing when she saw she had smudged some more blood from her forehead and down her nose with her thumb.

"Alright…" She sighed, "Where am I?"

The words disappeared, like ink disappearing in water, before another set of words wrote themselves out. Her eyes widened before turning around sharply, her eyes scanning through the trees on the opposite side of the clearing before catching sight of a discoloration amongst the green and brown shadows.

There, deep in the recessed of the trees, standing out with effort was the color of something Jackie had only seen on the buildings. She began to move, trekking over the clearing and past the trees, huffing as her limbs ached with every step she took.

Minutes flew by as she moved, trying to speed up without causing herself more injury. Brown determined eyes scanned her surroundings as she neared what had to be a building. Rufio let out a concerned gurgle, his tail twitching nervously as they neared the area. The sunlight in this area didn't filter with ease, appearing to struggle to push through the dense canopy above them.

With the lack of sunlight the air felt colder, eerie. Jackie felt a chill run up and down her spine and raise the hair in the back of her neck as a breeze blew over her. The area on her forehead smudged with blood seemed to catch on to the chill, filling her with an uneasy awareness as she walked. Rufio pressed his body closer to her neck, his ears twitching this way and that, trying to catch on to the sound of anything unwelcome.

She let out a soothing shushing sound, whether it was to comfort the lemur or herself she wasn't too sure.

The pain of her body and her determination to discover the meaning of the words the card displayed to her was enough to keep her pace, even if it was shaky and slightly hesitant.

The walk must have taken no longer than ten minutes, but to Jackie it felt insanely stretched, as if the forest itself was expanding itself to keep her from arriving to…wherever it was she was trying to get to.

As Jackie passed another set of tall and strangely ominous trees her gaze was met with a tall building, its color was faded wine, the walls let off a smell of decay and doors that looked as if they had been carved with utmost care lay broken at the sides of an entrance. The building had been constructed in the style of old Victorian homes, reminding her of historical movies she had sat down and watched with her mother late nights as they waited for her dad to come home from work.

A dank breeze blew around her, filtering through the building's entrance. The rustle of leaves and grass rose and fell along with the howl of the wind and a low, ghostly wail emanated from the building itself, the chill of before had frozen her and Rufio was strangely silent as he clutched to Jackie's neck, tensing up, the little fingers of his paws trembling over her skin.

Jackie gulped, clenching her fists as she glanced up, a large cloud passed over them, covering the warm light of the sun and enshrouded them in shadow. The movement of the passing cloud and the howling wind gave the illusion that the building was stretching, towering over her.

Heart thudding in her chest, Jackie glanced back at the card in her chest, reading the words over and over before a leaf obscured her vision. Looking back up, she saw a plaque, scratched and faded above the entrance. The words the plaque had once proudly announced were too faded and scratched out to be coherent, instead other words that were clearly scratched in by someone repeated the same the card told her. A cold feeling dropped a stone into her stomach and she read them out loud, thoroughly spooked.

"_The Hallway of the Never After," _She read, "_To enter is certain death_."

"Oh God…" She whispered. Her eyes wide with shock and fear, she vaguely heard herself mutter, "Where have I gotten myself into?"

The loud snap of the branch, had Jackie letting out a shriek of surprise. Whipping around, her foot caught on a loose stone and she felt backwards, Rufio hissing out with fear.

"Calm down it's just me!" She heard, the voice was familiar and the face both surprised and relieved her. Black onyx eyes met her brown ones, reassuringly. Pale hands were lifted in the air as a mean of surrender and no ill will.

"Y-you!" She exclaimed, shakily. She forced her breathing to slow, yet she could not control the hammering of her heart. "You… you startled me," Jackie sighed, lifting a hand to calm Rufio's angry chattering.

"I can see that," He said, his rugged voice sending chills up and down her spine again. She swallowed nervously before recognizing the state of her position. Scrambling up she stood, before falling on her knees, effectively scraping them on the rough stone.

"Ah!" She hissed, grabbing at her throbbing ankle. Annoyance bursting through her as she saw her hands would not stop shaking. His footsteps crunched over grass and stone, she glanced up at him to allow herself to see him.

He must've been no older than her but certainly not younger. He wore a tunic that looked nearly the same as Zuko's from the third season after he joined the gang to teach Aang fire bending, with the difference that instead of red and gold it was a dark forest green with the hems and collar a light green. Black sleeves hugged his arms, showing off the chiseled muscle up to his elbows where the sleeves were tugged upwards. Strong muscle bulged veins in his forearms, his hands half-hidden by black fingerless gloves. He wore black pants that stopped at his ankles and flats that looked comfortable enough to fight in. A silver necklace hung from his neck but whatever charm was at its end was hidden under his clothes. He looked like a fighter. Everything from his stance to the very air around him screamed it.

In a way, he reminded her of Hitsugaya Toshiro from Bleach, and Sasuke Uchiha from Naruto. He bent knelt on the ground, lifting gloved hands to inspect her injuries. Jackie launched her gaze as far away from his when he met her eyes with a raised brow. _This is not my day,_ she thought ruefully as she realized he must've caught her staring, and she was, no doubt, looking worse than a hobo.

"You banged your head pretty bad," He stated, lifting a hand to brush over her forehead. She nodded, pursing her lips.

"It looks worse than it feels, I bet." She replied. Had she allowed herself to look she would've caught the smirk he aimed at her.

"I'm sure." He said.

"How…" She trailed off, brushing off her self-consciousness and allowing herself to look at him. Auburn eyes met Onyx and she fought the urge to swallow nervously. She frowned, "How did you find me?"

"I followed you." He replied, offering her a hand. She took it and let him lift her up. "Can you put your weight on your foot?" He asked. Jackie nodded and removed her hand from his grip, a jab of pain struck and she bit her lip but she steeled herself.

"I'm fine." She said after he glanced at her foot with a peculiar stare. "What do you mean followed me?"

"A lot of us saw the lemur take your bag." He explained, looking at the small creature nestled on her shoulder with appraisal. "It's not often one sees a girl running after an animal so intently for a bag you can live without."

Jackie's face went scarlet with humiliation, "I would've let it go if I didn't have my map card and my key in there." He shrugged half-heartedly.

"Was the chase worth it?" he asked, giving her body a quick scan of his eyes.

"More than you know." Jackie replied quickly, irritated at his prodding but more so at the intense blush on her face. He glanced up at her with a dry look. Jackie pursed her lips in response.

Another breeze drew another moan from the building, Jackie's sixth sense reacted and she flinched, looking at the building with a shudder. Their attention at the building Jackie felt her companion tense next to her.

"We need to get out of here. Forget what you see here, it's not worth it. Just forget about it… let's go." His voice was suddenly quiet and by her ear, the blush of before brightening over her cheeks.

She quickly forced it down before nodding, "Let's."

The cloud passed by, letting light in around them yet despite the sudden warmth it didn't warm Jackie's core.

A sudden grip on her hand had Jackie redirecting her gaze at her hand, seeing his larger gloved hand cover hers. His exposed digits were surprisingly warm against her palm. "Come on," He said before pulling her out of there. Rufio let out a set of gurgles and squeaks. Jackie lifted her opposite hand and petted his ears against his head, letting out a soothing sound from her throat.

A scoff from the boy caught her attention, her eyes barely catching the mysterious grin as he turned his attention away. As soon as they made their way past the dense forest and into the clearing Jackie had crashed into he let her hand go.

"Hold on," She called. He turned around, the breeze pushing his dark locks over one of his eyes. She felt the sudden pull of being around an attractive guy almost mute her but she quickly forced herself to focus. _I must've had _really_ banged my head. _

"You said you followed me, you never said why." She said.

"Your friends asked me to." He replied after a moment.

Jackie's eyebrows rose, "Mae Ling and Elise?"

"The freedom fighter and the one with the braid," He clarified, "I assumed they're your friends. After you took off running the freedom fighter one said they should follow you, shorty told her that wasn't a good idea. They saw me looking at you after you ran off and asked me to follow you."

"And you agreed just like that?" Jackie asked, a bit incredulous.

He shrugged, "I had a feeling you'd need the help anyway. I doubted they would've kept up to you, you're surprisingly fast." Jackie scratched at her neck, unsure how to feel at the compliment. "Plus, they offered to buy me lunch if I found you."

Her face fell flat at that. Sighing she nodded, "That makes sense…I guess."

"I tried to catch your attention before you jumped over the ledge and down this hill." He pointed at the slope she had crashed down earlier. She winced slightly at the memory, her body still aching at the experience before she remembered.

She blinked, "You were the one who shouted at me to watch out…" Jackie said.

He nodded, "You don't like to pay very much attention to your surroundings do you?" Jackie glared at him. He shrugged again, "Well, it doesn't matter. You got your bag back and your pet," He jerked his chin at Rufio. The lemur let out a gurgle and Jackie let out a thin noise in the back of her throat.

"Let's head back." With that he turned and began to walk up the hill, Jackie limping behind him. Unsure on how she felt about her…rescuer.

The walk back was painful to say the least, and despite his indifferent appearance, he was by her side to ensure the journey back went without further delay. Offering her a hand whenever she needed it, Jackie would offer a small 'thank you' whenever he helped.

In twenty minutes they had finally gotten towards the bathrooms where she had last left. Sitting down, bruised and dirtied she waited as he accessed his own map card. The building and its plaque left a permanent stain in her memory, replaying over and over in the back of her head, filling her stomach with an uneasy rumble and her chest with a hole where her heart was.

The presence of the building never left her and she didn't feel much energy to even feel some kind of fanatic pleasure that a flying lemur had chosen her to stay around, or even to gawk at her human companion's expertise in the map card. She watched vacantly as he tapped the small card and even seemed to draw out the image from the card itself into a hologram in the air, twisting his hand up and down as the triangle, a surprising glowing green color, expanded and showed him directions in 3D.

"I've found our group," He said after a few minutes of silence, pointedly ignoring the occasional passerby that sent Jackie a surprised stare.

Jackie ignored them as well, looking back at him, "Where are they?"

"Waiting for us by a cafeteria nearby," He tapped the floating triangle and watched it go back into the card before placing it in a pocket. "I'm certain your friends already warned Kim of our absence."

_The way he speaks…_ Jackie thought before nodding. "What do you think…" She said suddenly, voicing her thought. "The plaque meant?"

He didn't reply. Instead he offered her a hand and a kind shrug of the shoulders, "Just forget about it. Let's get going. I'm sure if we find a water bender they can heal your injuries, and hopefully stop the bleeding on your forehead." Jackie raised a hand to her forehead, realizing the thin amount of blood had spread down her temple.

"Don't I look attractive," She snorted, taking his hand and standing up. Rufio settled himself comfortably on her shoulder and curled his tail around her arm. The young man let out a noise, the ghost of a chuckle before they began to walk towards they're newest destination, Jackie's bag bumping against her back, almost mockingly as she limped beside him.

* * *

The meal after they arrived in the cafeteria would've been completely divine had Jackie not been still wondering about the ominous building and the Hallway of the Never After. Jackie ate her food in silence despite the chatter of the two girls beside her. After they rejoined the group, the young man disappeared amongst the crowd, Jackie approached by several people due to her state, and the lemur on her shoulder. Kim gave her an earful about separating herself from the group but lifted a hand of comfort over her shoulder and gave her a relieved smile. Jackie grinned when she saw Mae Ling and Elise approach her with worried looks. Well, Mae Ling at least looked worried, Elise only grinned widely at her and told her bluntly that she looked like a wreck. That earned her a playful shove on the shoulder from Jackie and Rufio quickly launched himself from Jackie's shoulder and on the back of Mae Ling.

Mae Ling smiled warmly at the little creature while Jackie felt her lips quirk, "You little traitor." She shot at the lemur. Rufio wriggled his nose at her before reaching a paw over and patting her brow. Elise burst into laughter at this point. Annoyed yet appeased, Jackie dealt with that much from the lemur as Kim called a water bender from a nearby group to come heal her.

To her surprise and pleasure, Jackie found herself exchanging greetings once again with I.C. The water tribe woman merely gave her a look over before sighing, "Second day here and already covered in bruises," The woman had said as she waved water from a nearby water fountain to rest into her hands. Extremely excited to being healed through means of bending, Jackie found herself feeling giddy as I.C worked the water into her wounds.

_Always wanted to know how this would feel like…_ Jackie thought to herself as I.C worked on the gash over her forehead. Her ankle healed, her wrist fixed and her body feeling virtually refreshed, Jackie thanked I.C thoroughly before being ushered by her friends to get lunch. The girls talked about Jackie's adventure, and after a weird and somewhat embarrassing demonstration of Mae Ling checking Rufio's gender they found the lemur to be a female.

"I don't care," Jackie said, stoutly, "Her name is Rufio and that is that." Elise found herself agreeing with Jackie and after some methods of persuasion, Mae Ling agreed to the name as well.

Several other tour groups were also in the large cafeteria filling it with loud chatter and crowded space. After another tour group from the Earth Dorms cam in Mae Ling searched for her younger brother feverishly but was thrown in a seat by Elise and Jackie when they realized that Lee was clearly not a part of any of the Earth Dorm groups and Mae Ling almost rushed from the building to find her brother.

After a few moments of reassuring the short stocky girl her brother would be fine and taken care of (though Jackie wasn't too sure about that after remembering the Hallway of the Never After and its ominous warning had thrown her in a pensive mood,) Mae Ling sighed and had to push the girls off her so she could get her lunch. It didn't take long for the conversation to stray into other interesting things. Elise gushed about the cute guy who had chased after Jackie while Mae Ling rolled her eyes at her.

"Come on, El," Mae Ling said with a smirk, Jackie noticed the nickname with a half smile. "There's no way that guy would be into us, he looks like he's twenty! We're barely kicking sixteen."

Elise blushed, "Yeah, you're right. Blast it all, I honestly wish I was older right now." She let out a sigh before turning her gaze on Jackie. "Not you, though, right Jackie? Out of us three you've got the best chances with him..." Elise trailed off as Jackie stared at her food, her gaze far ahead. The freedom fighter frowned before gently poking her arm. Jackie glanced at the girls with mild surprise before straightening.

"Hey, are you okay?" Elise asked, blowing on a short strand of hair that fell over her face. "You've been awful quiet since you returned from your lemur chasing adventure."

Jackie smiled, slightly before deciding she had to tell someone of the building she and the guy had found. "Sorry, it's just. I found this place…" and with that began to recount what happened after she fell down the hill with Rufio.

The girls listened intently and Mae Ling's face paled slightly. "You don't think… Lee…"

Jackie and Elise quickly sat up and lifted their hands up to reassure Mae Ling, "Mae, don't worry. I'm sure he didn't go in there." Elise soothed.

Jackie nodded vigorously, "I didn't see anyone in there. The entire area was deserted except for me and the other guy." _Come to think of it, _she thought absentmindedly, _I didn't bother to get his name._

Mae Ling nodded, taking a few more bites from her meal before admitting they made sense, yet she didn't look quite so satisfied. "I'm sorry, Mae…" Jackie said sincerely, "I didn't mean to make you worry."

"Still though," Elise said, placing her elbows on the table, letting her face rest on her palms. "It's pretty creepy if you think about it. 'To enter is certain death'?" Elise shivered, her short hair brushing her cheeks as she did so. "You don't think people actually… you know…" she then slid a thumb over her throat and let out a long "_Shhhrrgkk!" _

"I mean…what if you go in there, but you don't die?" Elise continued, leaning towards the girls, lowering her voice. "What if you go in there and are lost forever? Never to be seen again?" a thick silence followed for several minutes as all three girls pondered Elise's thought.

Jackie sighed as she placed an elbow on the table and let her face fall on her palm. "It's hard to believe that despite this amazing experience there have been people who had never gone home. Don't you think people have looked for them? Families and friends, all searching and praying for years in vain while the person they hope to find is lost in another dimension. And worse still," Jackie trailed off, her voice growing softer.

"Those people could have been lost for years and for all they know it's been only a few days out back home. They could be old and decrepit, aimlessly walking around, desperately searching for a way to get back while their families barely realize they're missing. It just…it's a lot to take in at once, I guess." Jackie finished as she looked back at her food. Chicken and spaghetti with cilantro…it seemed so strange to eat this with the heaviness of this idea carrying over her mind.

"Wow…" she heard above them, all three girls turned to see Jackie's rescuer (if there was a word for him at all) from before. Elise and Mae Ling's jaws dropped in disbelief and excitement as he glanced at them, a soft hint of amusement leaked from his onyx gaze before turning to face Jackie who was staring at him with surprise and appraisal.

"You seem to be doing better." He spoke, and Jackie almost melted if not for his words, suddenly grateful he hadn't commented on the fact she was staring at him even though Elise had kicked her shin lightly from under the table.

Jackie fought another humiliated blush and met his gaze with a stubborn frown, "I am. Thanks for helping me."

He smirked before sitting down beside her. She heard the soft gasp of both girls as he did so. Jackie suddenly felt nervous, now that her body was not preoccupied with injuries it was fully registering the fact there was someone of the opposite sex, and who was quite handsome too, was near enough to touch.

"You're welcome," He said, his eyes bearing into hers, "I didn't think you were the kind to seriously consider ghost stories." He pointed out, curious.

"I highly doubt that was a ghost story," Elise piped up but he didn't look at her, his gaze razor sharp on Jackie's surprised one.

"Oh it's a ghost story, if you think about it technically." There was something hidden beneath his words, alarming her of something she felt he was trying to tell her.

"Creepy buildings, freaky plaques, I'm sure it's just a trick performed by someone a long time ago to ward off trolls." He said, his voice smooth, steady, even casual, yet his gaze told her something else. "Right?" He asked, and Jackie suddenly understood.

Jackie opened her mouth to retort but was surprised by the lack of words that reached her mind. She looked back at her food after a moment of tense silence, unsure how to answer aside from a quiet nod.

"Wolfwood," he said abruptly. Jackie glanced back up at him, he was already up and moving away. "My name," he said before walking off.

Jackie stood up. The words so very suddenly on her lips but something stopped her from saying them. Deciding to introduce herself instead, like he had done, Jackie almost called out to him but by that time he was already out of earshot to hear her. The weight of her thoughts and his intrusion filled her chest and Jackie sighed, Elise and Mae Ling watching her with bright and shocked eyes.

"Well," Elise said suddenly, "You are definitely one of the most interesting people to be around." Jackie sat back on her seat and continued to stare at her food. Without warning, the thought hit her. Was she truly prepared to live in this strange dimension without proper warning? What if it was true?

She wasn't so sure anymore and the memory of the large dark building with possible captive souls filled Jackie's mind and placed a weight in her stomach while the girls exploded into chatter about the sudden approach of the boy whose name was Wolfwood.

* * *

_Midori Aoi – Judas Priest…13,000+ words, several weeks in the making and it's finally done.__Good grief. WELL, How about it, people? I'm not going to lie this was not how I intended this chapter to end but it sort of…just wrote itself out. I know, it's pretty crazy and frustrating at times but hey, this is interesting. Shout outs to those of you who've seen your character out there. I've had to make up more characters because I'm not really getting all that many characters to work with. I don't mind, but I'd like more viewer-reader co-op, here. Haha_

_I apologize for the severely long wait. I've been dealing with a number of personal issues, and after a particularly straining event I nearly lost all hope in finishing this story. But then I read some of the reviews and I decided to keep it going. I had to revise this chapter, INSANELY. The first draft I had written and even sent to my beta reader to check was so close to being posted until a part of me just stopped, stared and decided I hated it. So…I changed quite a bit (even had to re-write a lot of it because it got deleted, GRR) and decided this was a better way of introducing the Hallway of the Never After. Eh? Eh? What do you think?_

_Well you know the rules, fave and Review with your IDEAS! What should happen next? Should there be a romance here somewhere? Send me characters people! PRIVATE MESSAGE ME: STUDENTS, TEACHERS, OR STAFF-MEMBERS OF THE REAL WORLD. I can handle the OC's from the Avatar world just fine._

_Alright!_

LET IT ROCK!

_Mido-Ao_


	6. Ch5: Groundbreaking Moments

_**Midori Aoi: I am terribly sorry for the wait! I know, I know. I promised not to take longer than a couple of months in updating but I had to eat my own words after that. Not only did I have much, much college homework to work on (I've had to write an excruciating amount of research/response papers….DX) But I was also in a community play! We did Arsenic and Old Lace, I played Elaine – for those of you who are interested. We had soooo much fun! But along with that and a severe artist block I've been struggling how to go about the fifth chapter. Honestly, as I'm writing this I didn't expect to even start doing this much less have enough creativity for it. Well… proves how much I know. I guess I owe a lot of help to my college finals, for some reason it wasn't until they started kicking in that I suddenly couldn't stop writing this! My brain is backwards….**_

_**Special Thank You to "RoflZuko too lazy to log in"! That was exactly what I needed. I am no master in writing, by any means. My true intent is to show people they can learn to write good literature through means of mastering the basics. Of course, I'm still a student so every chapter is a learning experience. :) Thank you for pointing that out! :D For all of you out there who are reading this, please do not hesitate to point out mistakes or errors if you see them! This is your story as much as it is mine!**_

_**Mai4eva: Thanks so much for your char! Keep an eye out for Kanari! (btw, I'm hoping you don't mind if I use your character as more opposition to Jackie. No worries, I'll be delicate about it.)**_

* * *

**The Avatar: The Last Airbender Fanfiction Writers Academy**

_By Midori Aoi_

**Chapter 5:**

**Groundbreaking Moments  
**

* * *

"It makes perfect sense! Even though you hardly see anything in the show there were enough Smeller-shot implications to make it canon!"

Jackie glanced up from the pamphlet she was currently reading to look at the two girls yapping away in front of her. Mae Ling rolled her eyes, long black braid swaying behind her as they continued to walk towards the next part of the tour, which happened to be the end of it. _Thank God,_ Jackie sighed inwardly.

"Come on, El," Mae Ling said, shrugging. "The most you saw was him placing a hand on her shoulder and just staring at her. If anything I think they had more of a sibling relationship together."

Elise let out a dramatic gasp of horror, hands reaching to grasp the mid-neck/shoulder length hair in a shocked and terribly surprised manner. "How could you possibly not see the clear awesome that is Smeller-shot?"

Mae Ling took that as a chance to start laughing. Jackie smiled as Elise stuck out her tongue at the girl before giggling herself. Her silence did not go unnoticed.

"You alright, hun?" Mae Ling asked, green eyes gazing at her with gentle concern. Elise's own bright opalescent blue eyes eyed her with wide interest, only glancing away to look at Rufio as the lemur jumped and sped around her body to rest over her shoulder. The animal's eyes and ears perked up, trained on Jackie. Jackie felt her throat hold back a noise as she realized the three of them were giving her quite the undivided attention. Well, except Elise. She kept glancing back at Rufio to scratch her behind the ears.

Jackie smiled at the wide-eyed trio and shook her head. "Everything's great. I'm just tired."

"I bet," Elise agreed. "After running around chasing this little brat," she flicked one of Rufio's ears, "and getting you somewhere prohibited, not to mention rescued by a fine male specimen - who wouldn't be?"

Mae Ling lifted a hand and placed it on Jackie's shoulder. "You want us to find a place to take it easy for a while?"

"I'm alright, guys. Honest." Jackie insisted, fighting the urge to roll her eyes. "Jeez, you're worse than my mom."

Mae Ling shrugged, smiling before they continued to follow the tour group. Elise stuck her tongue out at Jackie before continuing on. "We'll leave you to your thoughts, then." Mae Ling offered over her shoulder, sending her a wink. Jackie smiled.

The seventeen-year-old watched the girls as she walked behind them. It was kind of them to worry and even more so to care. After all, they all barely just met, but already she felt she could count on them as much as she would her friends back home. Maybe it was because of Rufio, or probably because they generously convinced Wolfwood to go "rescue her".

Jackie shook her head silently. Nah, that wasn't the case. They were all thrown here from their worlds all so they could learn not to desecrate an amazing world with unskilled hands. They already had the tools to work with at home; all they needed was to figure out how to carve a Michelangelo sculpture in a scripted sense instead of hammering at stone without a hint of knowledge. Once you know someone loves something as much as you do, you can't help but ally yourself to them. After all, how can you possible learn anything if you aren't sharing experiences?

In this strange dimension you were taken from friend, family and anything familiar and expected to live with things that were clearly mythical but here were basis of truth. Was it survival that made Jackie want to stick to two recent strangers and have them become friends?

Jackie found herself frowning at her thoughts. It wasn't often she indulged in such introverted thoughts.

"Keep up, will you?" The voice from behind surprised her. Jackie whipped around only to find her cheeks burning again. Wolfwood's obsidian eyes scrutinized her with mild interest and… something else. Whatever it was it sent wary chills down her spine. Jackie bit the inside of her cheek with sudden irritation.

"What's your deal? Checking up on me?" Jackie questioned, her voice coming out harsher than she had intended. She looked away and sped her walk a bit but the boy kept pace easily.

"I'm probably going to have to at this point, space cadet." He replied smoothly. Jackie wrinkled her nose, slightly irritated by his claim but couldn't find her way to come up with a comeback. It was partly true anyway.

A small moment of silence followed. Jackie sighed, feeling the warm rays of sunlight strengthen in force as they moved out from under a large stretching oak. Had anything been as it was before she discovered the looming ominous building with its dark promise, Jackie would feel blissful. But the memory of the plaque and its pulsing message left a dark hole in her heart.

"Forget about it." Wolfwood spoke again. Jackie glanced at him, pursing her lips slightly. He didn't meet her gaze, merely shrugging at her surprise. She looked away, sighing.

"Not an experience I'm likely to forget, I'm afraid." She retorted, her eyes following Kim as she waved her arms to those who were behind the tour – namely her and Wolfwood.

"If you keep thinking about it, you'll never find peace," was the cool reply.

"Gee, thanks," Jackie heaved a heavy sigh, rolling her eyes. "If _only _I had thought of that before."

"Trust me," He said, and there was something in his voice that made her look at him. His face had hardened to stone, his eyes crinkling with a strange intensity that Jackie did not expect. "Forgetting all about it is the best thing you can do for yourself, at this point."

Jackie watched him with surprise as he continued to walk ahead of her. _What's his problem?_

"So, what, is Wolfwood your actual name or are you going to surprise me?" She called out to him with a sudden burst of boldness. Quickly biting her lip, Jackie instantly regretted her words. Thoroughly humiliated she hoped he just ignored her sudden boldness. No such thing.

"Wouldn't you like to know?" He called back without looking at her. As if looking at her would be to acknowledge her pathetic effort at a comeback. Jackie's cheeks went scarlet and she suddenly found herself sticking her tongue out at the back of his head, somehow hoping the childish gesture would erase her embarrassment. It didn't.

This didn't escape the notice of her two friends, Jackie quickly noted as the two girls were trying desperately to hide their giggling behind hands and the occasional tour attendee.

It didn't take long for Jackie to fully realize they had planned this little encounter with Wolfwood when they 'left her alone to her thoughts'.

"You guys are hilarious." Jackie grunted flatly as soon as she caught up to them.

_He's right, though. _Jackie thought grimly. _It is better to forget…_

* * *

"Kick the _freaking_ _**ball**__, __**JACKIE**__!" _

How she ended up in the middle of a field playing soccer with a bunch of kids, Jackie would never bother to guess. As the tour was nearing its end, Kim had taken them to the recreational areas. There were pools to swim laps and lounge around in aside from the pools where only bending classes could use. Gymnasiums and workout places, even training centers where people learned about fighting and other things (Kim said that was the place to go to learn how to write fighting sequences. Jackie was definitely excited about that.)

Each Native Dorm had their own rec-centers but nothing as big as this area where everyone can join together to play. Many stores and food services rested on its outskirts and sets of stone and metal bleachers surrounded the large space, where people were beginning to sit and lounge about. Kim explained that their largest field was where the dorms played and competed in all manner of sports – both existent in their world and in the avatar world. ("Like Quidditch?" Elise had exclaimed after Kim finished speaking. The group laughed and Kim only rolled her eyes.

"Not in the Avatar world, sweetheart, we don't use brooms to play around." Kim replied, chuckling.)

Kim told them they could spend an hour playing around and taking it easy while the other tour groups joined in the larger field for a festival and prizes before the start of classes.

Cared with a new set of clothes – no amount of waterbending can stitch a ripped seam –she had won from one of Kim's special trivia, Jackie hardly looked like she had chased a lemur throughout the vast campus. Her clothes were black and green instead of the green and yellow she had worn to the Orientation and start of the tour. The Hem of her tunic and sleeves were a lovely satin green and jade stitching of butterflies and the Earth Kingdom crest decorated most of the black tunic. Her green shorts had, thankfully, survived the misadventure she had endured from chasing Rufio for the bright green bag that was strapped around her hips.

Sighing, she rolled up her sleeves up to her shoulders, allowing her skin to relish the cool feel of the air around them. Somehow, Jackie had gotten roped into playing with the girls and several other people from other Earth Groups who had already been playing by the time they showed up.

"I would if I had a place to kick the ball to, Mae!" Jackie shouted, trying to dribble the ball away from two players from the opposing team. A girl with a long ponytail and freckles accompanied with a short stocky boy with long messy hair that kept getting in his eyes tried to block her openings and take the ball away. Jackie took a small moment to thank her mother into urging her into sports – especially soccer – when she was younger.

"Pass it here!" She heard amongst the cries of her team mates and Jackie struggled to find a way to kick the ball out of their opponents reach. With a well placed kick, Jackie managed to hit the ball over the short boy's head.

He let out a quick yelp, ducking when he should've used his head to knock the ball out of place. Jackie winced and uttered a quick, "Sorry!" to the boy.

The ball spun through the air, heading in the direction of an opposing team player and Jackie found herself biting her lip in mild frustration when a bright grin spread over the lips of a boy probably older than her. In a flash of short light brown hair, Elise materialized seemingly out of nowhere in front of the other kid, jumped and used her chest to block the ball.

"Yeah, go Elise!" Jackie cried out, pumping a fist in the air. Mae Ling let out a victorious whoop as the ball made its way to another player of their team, Elise beamed at them brightly before continuing towards the offense. They began to run forward as the ball was kicked here and there. A failed attempt at a goal didn't bring their spirits down and they retracted to defense, Jackie heading quickly towards her position.

"Good thing we've got you on defense!" Kim called out after Jackie made a quick tackle when an opposing player tried to get through to the goal. The tour guide decided to join in the play after talking with some people and noticing Jackie's team was short a player.

"You've got a pretty great offense yourself!" Jackie called out, laughing. Kim flipped thumbs-up and a bright grin. The gap in her teeth gave off such a charming air to her usual edgy yet good-natured attitude.

"Heads up!"

Jackie looked back at where the ball was currently being tossed around to see the ball suddenly get blocked from one of her teammate's feet and taken by the opposite team. Jackie felt the competitive side of herself go into overdrive in that moment, bursting into a sprint towards the kid who was now nearing the defense line. He was the same short stocky kid from before and he quickly sent her a determined smile as he tried to bypass her.

"Oh no, you don't!" Jackie exclaimed. She pushed her leg to try to kick the ball out of his reach but with a sly set of brilliant footwork the kid plucked the ball away from her reach and passed it to another member of the team only to shout in dismay when Mae Ling intercepted the ball and began to pass it back to Kim.

Jackie let out a whoop as the ball bounced off Kim's head towards the goal but in a surprising turn of events one of the older guys from the other team intercepted the pass with a grand air kick. The ball flew over Jackie's head and straight towards the goal entrance. Jackie spun around, stepping forcefully to give a good push off to a sprint when suddenly a block of earth shot out from the ground in front of their goalie, intercepting the flying ball. The ball ricocheted off the stone wall and straight into the out of bounds area.

"Hey! We said no bending!" Wei-Shiro, the other team's captain, shouted. Kim made a quick stomp to the ground and the ball shot from the ground into the sky, straight into her arms. A deep frown marred the young woman's face as she eyed the opposite team.

"Who was the smart guy who disregarded the rules?" Kim called out warningly. Jackie glanced around, surprised at what happened.

"It was Jackie!" one of the opposing team members shouted. Jackie recognized him as Bradley, he had teased her for being a space cadet earlier when they were first getting picked for teams and Jackie had been too focused on what Wolfwood had told her before realizing she had been picked for a team and was being called on repeatedly. He was tall and hefty, but in a muscular-tubby-ish sort of way, with round cheeks and bright green eyes. He reminded her of Pipsqueak except he looked much smarter in comparison.

Jackie flinched, startled. "Me?" She exclaimed. "I can't even bend!"

"It's true," Elise called out, walking towards her as everyone gathered around to figure out what happened. "She's not a bender. Maki, her roommate, told me so."

Jackie nodded. Kim's frown deepened, "Well, if it wasn't Jackie then who was?"

Scattered denials were heard around the group of players, yet no one stepped up to take responsibility. "It was Jackie." Bradley insisted. "I saw her. It was when the ball was about to reach the goal, she spun around and stomped on the ground. That's when the rock wall shot from the ground."

Kim nodded, Jackie's eyes widening at Bradley's statement. Kim looked back to Jackie, balancing the ball between one arm and a hip, "Jackie, are you sure you can't bend?"

Jackie nodded. "Yeah, when I got here I wasn't able to bend at all."

Kim surveyed her before tossing the ball to Wei-Shiro. "Well, give it a try now."

Jackie stiffened, incredulous. "Are you serious?"

"Yeah, go for it." Kim urged, crossing her arms. Feeling suddenly under the spotlight, Jackie quickly swallowed nervously. Settling into a weak horse-stance, she quickly lifted a fist and then punched at the ground before stomping, feeling ridiculous while she moved.

"Hyah!" She shouted as she struck the ground with her foot. A moment of silence past and nothing happened. Jackie blushed brightly as a few giggles made their way out from the people surrounding her.

"You're doing it wrong." Kim shook her head. The young woman moved towards Jackie, her dress swaying through bare and very tan legs. Jackie ignored the giggles as best she could as Kim settled by her side.

"Try to remember how you felt in that moment when the ball was going to enter your goal." Kim said, nodding her chin at her. Jackie bit her lip, grasping at her sleeve before closing her eyes.

"I was competitive…"

"Good," Kim said, smiling wide. "Now go a little simpler than that."

Jackie frowned, "I…didn't want the ball to get in the goal…?" Kim nodded vigorously.

"More," The tour guide urged, her eyes bright. Jackie pursed her lips.

"I wanted to stop the ball before it got through." Jackie admitted. Kim smiled, chuckling.

"Close enough," she said. "In that moment you were going to give it every single thing you had to be able to stop that ball. It was focus unadulterated. You focused nothing but determined and hard rock devotion into stopping the ball. Now, try to emulate that now but towards the earth instead."

Jackie nodded, glancing back at her audience sheepishly. "Don't worry about them, Ortega. Just focus on the ground."

"Okay…" Jackie said, a bit uneasy before turning her attention to the ground beneath her. Long stalks of trampled emerald grass surrounded her feet, the occasional pebble and dirt patched that had been kicked up during the game…

_Focus…_

Jackie took a deep breath. "Good," Kim's voice spoke gently. "Now settle into a deep horse-stance…wider…there you go."

Jackie did so, feeling her hamstrings tighten in the process. Pulling her fists deep in her sides, elbows jutting backward, Jackie tried to remember what exactly happened the moment the rock slab shot from the ground and stopped the ball.

_Focus…_

"You can do it, Jackie." She heard Elise whisper. A quiet smack, then an, "Ow!"

"Hush, she's trying to concentrate!" Mae Ling scolded. Jackie fought back an amused grin and focused more on the feeling.

"Everyone get behind Jackie." Kim ordered and the shuffling of feet on grass followed around her to settle silently behind her.

_Focus…_

_There_…

like a quiet determination, deep rooted and powerful plunged into her belly and it fed a brilliant perseverance through her chest and body. Jackie breathed in deeply and nodded.

"Good, now push it out and give a quick stomp and punch!" Kim commanded.

Jackie remembered the movement from when Toph was training Aang, a move she herself had practiced in the privacy of her own room just to feel cool and felt that if any move was going to do it, it would be that one. Jackie moved, bringing her right foot forward in a stomp while her fist popped out from her side into a forward punch.

"HYAH!" She felt the scream more than heard as the feeling pushed out from her stomach through her arms, up her feet, and our the sole of her foot and fist. The force of the power rippled outward, pushing like a wave from her core to her limbs, the hairs on her arms standing on end as the energy pulsed outward from her body and into the earth and suddenly, Jackie could _see. _

In one split moment, the power that had grown in her chest and core had thrown almost a seventh sense into her mind and she could not just feel but see the ground and all that touched it. Like a sudden brilliance of light exploded behind her closed eyes and she saw all those who stood near her, seeing their pulse and their breath as well as every little insect and plant that covered the ground within ten foot radius of her. The sight only lasted a moment as Jackie was only focused on the ground and her desire only wished for a good chunk of earth to dislodge itself from its body to rise into the air according to her will.

A decent sized boulder popped out of the ground with a great thunderous roar, and then thrust out towards the opposite end of the field before crashing into a pile of rubble on the ground. The release of energy and all the feelings and emotions she felt in that one moment overwhelmed her senses for a series of seconds and for a moment she nearly forgot to breathe. Her eyes snapped open of their own volition and she was once again overwhelmed by another sense, instead this was her sense of sight. Color overwhelmed her mind and details she hadn't been able to achieve in that moment of _sight_ from the earth began to return into her main focus despite how she tried to, unconsciously, keep the other sense within reach. A shocked silence followed as Jackie's mind tried to make sense of was clearly not suppose to be real and yet was so obviously so.

Staring at the great gaping hole that ripped the ground, and the mound of rock that now sat upon the grass ahead of her, Jackie tried to process everything that happened in that moment and suddenly she could hear everything around her, as if in those moments of sheer focus had deafened her so as to better focus on the suddenly new ability.

Several cheers surrounded her and all manner of hands were clapping over her shoulders brought her back to reality and into the arms of cheering teammates. Kim was laughing at her dumb-struck face before gently knocking her fist on Jackie's forehead, saying something that seemed muffled for the moment until Jackie's mind caught up.

"Wake up, cadet. You're an earth bender!"

Jackie felt the disbelief mix with a joy she never thought she could realize in her lifetime and she suddenly found tears running down her cheeks as she tried to gain her breath back to normal.

"Sadly now, we can't play here until we fix the hole you made." A chorus of mild groans of disappointment followed but Jackie couldn't care less as she was suddenly wrapped in a tight hug between Mae Ling and Elise.

"I'm an Earth bender!" Jackie shouted.

"Hey, are you guys doing an earth bending show-off?" A shout from across the large field from another large group of people came.

"No, we're not!" Kim shouted in reply, "Get your head out your butt!"

The laughter that followed was full-hearted and filled with 'congratulations' from the people around Jackie. In that moment, Jackie completely forgot about the _Hallway of the Never After_ and the dark ominous plaque that had disturbed her moment of happiness.

The bright enthusiasm from before returning with a welcomed vengeance as Jackie continued to celebrate her new-found power.

* * *

_**MidoriAoi: Well… I tried to find something more to add to this chapter but this thing is persistent. No matter what I add it doesn't want to work and so I have to end this chapter here. I sure hope you enjoy this chapter! If you want speedier updates, I NEED CHARACTERS! If you have to make up people, go for it. I just need a good amount so I can really get this going. Someone mentioned how I used a lack of cannon characters and that's because this isn't a story about the characters. This is a story for YOU the readers, and those who wish to improve their writing. So don't expect too much limelight from the Main Chars. Mmkay?**_

_**NEXT TIME: CLASSES WILL BEGIN SOON! BUT, WHAT'S THIS, A SURPRISE TOUR? There is one place the students have to visit, The Hallway of Endless Sentences, where those who start fights, indulge in flame battles, and hatch trolls go to be disciplined! Is this place inspired by the Hallway of the Never After? Will Jackie be able to find some answers before classes begin? Who will be her teacher? Will she ever meet the Characters of ATLA? Find out next time in the next chapter!**_

_**As always, CHARACTERS WELCOME!**_

_**LET IT ROCK!**_


	7. Ch6: The Hallway of Endless Sentences

_Midori Aoi: I know, I know. Late again. I will be working harder in updating chapters though, so don't worry! I am oh so very grateful to those of you who've sent me characters! (Almost 5 new more! Yay!) Keep it coming though; I am in serious need for them all! Mostly Teachers and Staff now, if you'd be so kind._

_One little thing: Someone mentioned in a review how I was favoring Zutara as a ship through this story. I admit that I made it to cater mostly to the majority of shippers (if we look at it in terms of numbers, Zutara has more followers. Don't kill me! A) and many of the Fan fiction Academy stories out there for this series are Pro-Canon. Let me be clear – This fic is PRO-CANON. Like most of those out there, I will keep faithful to the canonity of the series since this isn't about shipping but more about the aid of people improving their writing. However, since I am a Zutara shipper on a personal level writing a main character who shared that similarity in shipping preferences is easier for me to write as well as a means in showing people out there the way we see things from a pro-fanon point of view, without shoving anything down your throat, of course. _

_I want to encourage a friendliness amongst shippers, which is why I have Jackie's closest friends to be of different shipping preferences, and to show how much opposition some of us face when we find someone who is particularly hostile towards our personal enjoyments. Alright, I hope I cleared things up now ON WITH THE SHOW!_

_P.S – Thanks to_ **James Golen**, **RomioneRawr**, **A random person reading fanfic**, **Kailueilo **_and_ **Mai4eva**! _Your characters will be making a debut (in some of your character's case, an official one) in this chapter! If you see anything you want me to correct in terms of characterization – don't be afraid to let me know. :) For those of you who have sent me characters but aren't in this chapter, fret not. I'll be sure to debut them next chapter!_

* * *

**The Avatar: TLA Fan-fiction Writer's Academy**

_By Midori Aoi_

**Chapter 6:**

**The Hallway of Endless Sentences**

* * *

"Put the rocks down."

"Huh? Oh come, on. I-It was just an accident,"

"Put them down."

"But, can't I just –"

"Jackie. Drop the rocks. _Now_."

The stones hit the soft earth beneath their feet with a series of thumps was the only reply that followed. Jackie felt her shoulders sag, disappointed. Should they blame her if she couldn't quite get over the fact she could earthbend? This was the dream of any true fan of the series, and Jackie couldn't help being proud for achieving something she'd thought impossible. Aoi nodded pleased and relaxed so visibly Jackie couldn't help the glare of mild annoyance towards her assigned guide.

Earlier, right after the soccer game, and after fixing the area Jackie's bending had disturbed, Mae and Elise headed off to go get some snacks while they waited for any news on the tours.

Jackie had been invited along, but she decided to spend some time taking it easy and practicing her bending. Sure, she couldn't full out lift heavy boulders like she did the first time. Beginner's luck, Kim had called it. So, Jackie spent her time making sure she could lift rocks of a smaller size. It took some effort but she had managed to successfully lift three small rocks into the air and rotated them, rather like Haru did when he was first introduced in the show. A wide grin spread over her cheeks as she had thought about it. _I'm an earthbender…_!

Out of the blue, Bradley popped up right behind her with a loud and cheery, "Boo!"

Startled, Jackie let out a cry and suddenly one of the rocks shot right smack into his forehead with a force unprecedented.

"Brad!" Jackie had exclaimed, jumping in surprise when the big guy fell to the ground with a howl. "I am so sorry!"

It took several moments of Bradley writhing on the ground clutching his forehead in agony and Jackie vehemently apologizing to garner the attention of Kim (among others).

"What happened?" Kim asked, frowning at the squirming blonde man and the frantic teenager.

"He snuck up on me!" Jackie said quickly before turning to the injured man with some annoyance and concern. Kim glanced at them both for a moment before letting out a sudden bark of laughter. Jackie blushed, embarrassed.

"So you attacked him?" Kim asked after her laughter subsided. Jackie shook her head vehemently.

"No," Jackie denied, "It was an accident. I was practicing my bending and Brad just snuck up behind me and startled me. I lost control with one of my rocks and hit him in the face." Kim and a few other people laughed at the news and Jackie's already scarlet face burned brighter.

"What hit who in the face?" Jackie had jumped at the familiar alto voice, spinning around to come face-to-face with her original guide, the colorful whirligig placed in its usual spot behind her ear.

"A-Aoi!" She exclaimed, startled. How did she get there? _When _did she get there? The olive-skinned girl raised a brow at Jackie before looking around her to study Bradley cradling his head in his palms. Jackie took a moment to realize the guide was sporting a black sleeveless tunic, baggy jade trousers and a pair of strong metal gauntlets in replacement to the previous outfit she had worn. To Jackie it appeared to be gear to be used in a bending battle, the gauntlets on Aoi's arms bore scratches and marks of dirt that appeared very recent.

_Did she get in a fight or something? _Jackie asked before snapping out of her stare as Aoi moved past her.

"What happened?" She asked. Jackie shuffled in her feet uncomfortably, glad that Aoi hadn't caught her staring yet again (Or had at least grown to ignore it).

"Jackie injured Bradley," Kim explained with a grin, wiping tears and giggles away with a bronze hand. "He startled her while she was practicing her bending."

Jackie felt her stomach tighten in anticipation to Aoi's reaction. To the casual observer Aoi appeared unsurprised at the news, but Jackie had caught the tiniest widening of her eyes. Deciding not to dwell on it Jackie waited as Aoi nodded at Kim before turning to face her abruptly. The seventeen year old nearly jumped again at having her attention.

"So, you're a bender." Aoi stated, nonchalant.

Jackie swallowed and nodded. "Yeah," She admitted, averting her gaze. "I sorta bent a rock at Brad's face." Bracing herself for more laughter Jackie expected Aoi to join the others in laughing but instead the girl pursed her lips gently at the news.

If Aoi had been surprised she didn't show it. Instead she gave Jackie an odd stare that left the Hispanic American feeling like she was in trouble. Surely, she didn't injure the boy that bad! Then again, she wasn't sure how severe she had injured him since she couldn't see the injury from behind the icepack one of the other tour guides slapped on his head (there being no waterbenders nearby).

He assured her it was alright after a while of holding the icepack to his head but the sound of rock striking flesh and bone had been so sharp she was sure he'd have a bump the size of a saber tooth moose-lion's paw. The thought made Jackie wince. Searching for some kind of outlet for her nervousness she levitated a few rocks into the air. It was surprisingly calming.

A sudden hand on her shoulder startled her, and one of the rocks flew off on a tangent. Jackie spun to face Aoi, her face a picture of shock. Aoi had ducked after the rock exploded into the atmosphere. A moment later, Jackie realized that Aoi had been trying to get her attention and that she had been too focused on her bending to notice. Aoi gave her a quirky smile before telling her to drop the rocks and to pay attention. Jackie reluctantly obeyed with a discouraged pout.

"Don't worry so much," Aoi said with a smile, brown eyes twinkling. Jackie looked over Aoi's shoulder to see Brad still being tended to. "It's easy to get carried away." Jackie sighed before scuffing at the dirt with her shoe, watching with disinterest as the dust settled around her black tabi slipper.

"Now that you're a bender, I have to review some rules with you." Aoi said. She pulled the colorful whirligig from behind her ear, the colorful object swinging with the motion. Jackie eyed it for a moment as the blades swiveled back and forth. The colors flashed bright as sunlight bounced into Jackie's eyes, making her blink back stars.

With an efficient jerk of her thumb, Aoi spun the blades as a breeze began to pick up. Jackie waited more entrance by the quickening spinning of the toy only watch as the sunlight picked at the tips, brightening them. It took a moment but Jackie realized that edges of the gizmo actually began to glow a gentle white and that it was another power, not the wind that urged the spinning of the whirligig.

Jackie looked back at Aoi with awe only to see her eyes had closed. She muttered something Jackie didn't catch and the glow vanished. The blades' fast revolutions slowed and came at a rest before submitting to the gentle breeze around them. Aoi reached within her robe and pulled out a thin notepad. Its paper was not like the kind you'd see back in Jackie's dimension, resembling something closer to a mix of parchment and a laminated sheet.

"Here we go," Aoi smiled after writing that looped in gentle curves bled into the paper much like how the words in Jackie's map card appeared when she activated it.

"Congratulations in becoming a bender," Aoi read aloud with what seemed like a practiced cheerful tone. "With this ability you will be able to understand the power those in the Avatar world experience on a daily basis. However, with great power comes great responsibility, and if you are witnessed using this power in ways that violate the Academy's code of conduct and rules you will be stripped of the ability and sent back to your home. Chances to get back into the school are accepted and a trial is then given for the offender to appeal their case to get re-accepted into the A:TLAFFWA. Bending abilities will not be restored upon return to the Academy," Aoi looked up and gazed sternly into Jackie's eyes. "So, in a nutshell, if you screw up and get accepted back into the school you won't be allowed the ability to Bend. So keep in mind that this is a one-time deal."

Jackie gulped before asking, "What would qualify as a screw-up?"

"There are a few things that can get you kicked out. Things like bullying or harassment will get you violations and citations. Once you hit a certain amount of citations you will be sent to the Hallway of Endless Sentences." Aoi explained. Jackie frowned and Aoi gave her an enigmatic smile.

"You'll find out soon," She placed the notepad back within her tunic and placed the whirligig back behind her ear. "Once you are sent to the Hallway you are given a sentence of time to complete, if you continue to cause problems after being released from the Hallway regardless of all warnings given…the result leads to expulsion." Aoi's eyes darkened, her voice lowering at the end for emphasis.

Jackie rocked back on her heels, mulling it over. "There's another thing," Aoi added and Jackie straightened up. "If you were to create a troll, start or participate in a student war – shipping or otherwise – pass the third warning in Flame misconduct, or severely injure someone with your bending you will be expelled immediately and you will have no hope of returning to this school. Am I making myself perfectly clear?"

Jackie stiffened at the sudden steel in Aoi's voice yet nodded nonetheless. "I understand," Jackie replied. Aoi stared at her for a moment causing Jackie to shift a bit, uncomfortable. Several small moments passed and Aoi finally relaxed and nodded with a light smile.

"You are a bender now. You can choose to advance your training in how to control your element in order to avoid further…accidents." Jackie glanced over Aoi's shoulder to see how some of Bradley's friends were laughing as Kim chastised him for distracting a newbie bender. Two girls dressed in Fire Nation fashion approached the group but before Jackie could study them Aoi spoke.

"You make sure you know what you're doing and you can even enter in some of the competitions or games they have for benders in the academy as a form of recreation. It also helps in writing fighting sequences but you'll figure that out later." Aoi concluded, her voice returning to its original mellow tone. Jackie opened her mouth to voice something else before being interrupted by an infuriated exclamation.

They turned to see one of the girls with a long ponytail and bangs similar to Azula's swat a punch at Bradley's shoulder. The other girl with rich auburn hair and wide and green eyes let out a squeak of surprise at her companion's angry attack but made no move to stop her. The girl with a ponytail then pressed both fists against her hips and tapped her foot impatiently as she glared at Bradley.

"Why did you think frightening her would be a good idea?" her voice, already a low soprano only raised in pitch as her chastisements grew louder. "Just look at the size of that goose egg! You're lucky she didn't crack your head open. I sure would have, you big idiot."

Bradley smiled nervously at her, "Oh, come on Kanari, She just looked so focused. I couldn't help myself."

"You couldn't help yourself…!" Kanari repeated with escalating annoyance before taking in a sharp breath and exhaling, "Well, this better be the last time 'you couldn't help yourself' and get injured with a reason that stupid! Autumn, go get one of the waterbenders from one of the Water Tribe tours to come heal the bump on this idiot's head. " The green-eyed girl nodded and ran off.

Kanari turned to Bradley again, dark eyes flashing. "If you pull another stunt like this and you end up getting another injury because of it, I won't let any healer near you. Got me?"

Bradley grinned, gave her an "A-Okay" sign with a hand before taking the icepack off for a moment. Jackie hissed in sympathetic pain. The late afternoon light did not improve the appearance of his injury. The edges had turned a vicious purple while the center had grown pale and had embellished with swelling. From her current distance, Jackie couldn't tell how big it was exactly but it looked to be half the size of her fist. The whitest part of the injury seemed to have the imprint of the rock that had struck his forehead.

Kanari frowned before turning around and facing Jackie. Jackie blinked, noting that her outfit was very similar to the clothes Katara wore in the Fire nation. But this girl reminded Jackie more of Mai instead of Katara with her pale skin, dark eyes and jet black hair.

"I'm sorry he frightened you," Kanari said, approaching Jackie. "Brad's a total idiot and thinks it's funny to pull pranks on people."

Jackie nodded with a quick apologetic smile, "I should've paid a bit more attention."

Kanari blinked before nodding. "Yeah, I guess so. If he does more stuff like that just let me know and I'll pound him for you."

"Be nice to me, Kana!" Brad called out, grinning. Kanari shot him a dark look before turning back to Jackie and extended a hand.

"I'm Kanari. Unfortunately, Brad is one of my friends from the real world. He introduced me to Avatar and all its grand wonder." Kanari introduced. Jackie accepted her hand and grinned.

"Jackie. I'd go by my username but I'd feel pretty stupid if people went around calling me Zutara#1FanGirl all the time."

Kanari's nose wrinkled, "Zutara? No thanks. Maiko all the way."

Jackie sighed. Yet another person who wasn't into her shipping preference, Jackie thought feeling disappointed.

"Whatever floats your boat, I guess." Jackie said. Kanari gave her a wry smile and nodded in agreement even though her look of mild revulsion didn't quite fade all the way.

"Whoa, what happened to Brad's head? You get attacked by a tiger-dillo or something?" Jackie turned to see Elise and Mae Ling walking towards them holding several bags of chips and a few cans of juice and soda. Rufio was trying to snatch an opened bag of chips from Elise from atop Mae Ling's shoulder but the girl kept it just far enough to be out of reach but close enough to tease the lemur. Behind them walked a taller boy with shaggy red hair and freckles wearing a teal shaded jacket over a green tunic with a golden crest of the Earth Kingdom and matching baggy trousers. His eyes were a shocking shade of blue. He reminded her of Ron from Harry Potter. When he suddenly looked away, Jackie blushed. She had been staring. Again.

"Hey guys," Jackie greeted with a smile, hoping they hadn't noticed.

"Nope, no tiger-dillo," Kim chirped from behind Aoi and Jackie shot her a pleading shake of the head. Kim ignored her and a wide grin spread over her cheeks, "Jackie nearly broke his skull in half with her bending."

Both girls' eyes widened. "Jeez, what'd he do to you?" Elise whistled.

"Is he okay?" Mae Ling asked, looking at Brad with concern.

"He'll live." Aoi replied, smiling. Jackie blushed when they looked back at her.

"It was an accident," Jackie gave her hasty reply. "He startled me, is all. He'll be fine…right?" she added before looking back at Brad. He merely covered the injury up with the icepack again and gave her thumbs up.

"Next time he might not be," Kanari said rolling her eyes. Elise took a moment to look the new addition with a bright look.

"You're from one of the Fire tours, right?" Elise asked brightly, swatting a paw away from her chips. Rufio gave a chattering gurgle of interest and nearly jumped on Elise before Mae Ling offered a chip. The lemur accepted it with an appreciative lick before gobbling up the treat.

Kanari nodded, "Looks like it."

"I'm Elise." Elise pointed at her chest. One of the bags of chips fell to the ground next to her. The red-head behind her picked it up and offered it back. "This here is Mae Ling," Elise nudged her chin towards the short girl whom was scratching the fur under Rufio's chin. "Rufio and a new friend, Zane."

"Zane Jacobs," He said, voice breaking at the end of his name. The girls couldn't help giggling as his cheeks burned. He cleared his throat quickly before repeating his introduction.

"Puberty's a sick, sick creature." Elise said with a smile. Zane smiled back and Jackie couldn't help the sudden feeling they looked cute together.

"So, we didn't know what you wanted," Mae Ling said turning to face Jackie. "So we got one of each of the really good stuff."

"They even have fire flakes!" Elise exclaimed pointing at the bag Zane had picked up from the ground.

"You guys got one of everything?" Jackie asked, surprised. "Where'd you get the money for it?"

"Each student receives some funds upon registering for classes and dorms." Aoi explained, Kim nodded by her side. "You can access that money and check it from your card. So it kind of works as a kind of debit card."

Jackie looked back in search of her bag to see it undisturbed on the ground just a few feet away. "That's really cool," She admitted, wondering what else the small card could offer. Elise nodded vigorously.

"Us kids in the Earth Kingdom dorms use currency of the E.K. Fire kids use currency from the Fire Nation and so on and so forth." Mae Ling added, passing some fire flakes to Kanari who accepted with a quick nod. "It's still money so it doesn't really matter what you pay with as long as it's money."

"Avatar Day," Jackie, Kanari, Zane and Elise chorused the name of the episode Mae Ling had quoted inadvertently and they burst into a bout of chuckles and high fives.

"You get more cash the more you participate in school activities, and some prizes come in coupons and discounts for food." Zane said as he opened a can of what looked like Banana Soda. "Today even though meals are free the snacks aren't."

"Oh yeah, why was lunch free today?" Jackie asked, remembering she didn't pay anything for her meal earlier and realizing why Wolfwood hadn't asked her to buy him lunch today.

"Orientation," Kim explained, "Every student gets their meals free for the day. Like Zane said, you have to pay for whatever snack or food you get outside of the offered meals. Every other day you pay for your food unless you've won food stickers from any contest or school event." Jackie nodded and was about to ask something else until she saw the girl with the auburn hair from before jog up to them followed by the only waterbender Jackie had met, I.C.

Jackie grinned at seeing the familiar waterbender. "I.C!" She waved and the girl smiled in return.

"Hey there Jackie," She greeted. Then she caught sight of Bradley. "What happened?" A quick explanation left I.C laughing as she shook her head. Jackie felt her cheeks burn again with embarrassment.

"Honestly, my workload is steadily increasing since you arrived here, Ortega." Jackie pouted and I.C winked at her before heading over to Brad.

"Guys, this here is Autumn," Kanari motioned to the girl who had moved to stand by her. Autumn gave a quick bow and smile, unfazed by her run. Jackie was slightly impressed. After running around searching for a waterbender she wasn't even out of breath! "She's my roommate. She doesn't talk very much but she's pretty cool once you get to know her."

"Like Longshot?" Elise quipped with a wide grin. The group chuckled as Autumn blushed prettily.

Mae Ling rolled her eyes. "We get it, you're obsessed." The group laughed and Elise stuck out her tongue.

Sudden blasts of flame near the edge of the recreational area and closest to the school caught their attention and everyone turned to gaze at the plume of flames. Jackie stood on the tips of her feet to get a better view. The source to be several fire nation men. With a rumble Jackie felt tickle the soles of her feet, the ground beneath the men pushed them several feet higher so all could see them without an issue. Jackie looked for the earthbender but the area was so crowded it was impossible.

Heat tickled Jackie's cheeks and neck and after a moment the flames disappeared. The crowd began to cheer and applaud the firebenders. Jackie would've joined the applause if her hands weren't carrying chips and a can of soda so she settled with letting out a whoop, joining the others around her.

"Students of the Fan Fiction Writer's Academy!" A voice boomed over them and Jackie recognized it as the voice of the Fire Nation man who began the ceremony earlier that morning. By his side was a taller man of built much like his partner but with a darker demeanor. He looked harsh and stern beside the smiling face of the announcer.

"For those of you, who don't know me, my name is Jake Wu and this here is Zha Yu," He motioned to the dark haired man. He gave a short bow of acknowledgement and resumed his tight, rigid stance, "We will be speaking on behalf of the Headmasters in this final ceremony. As this day draws to a close and classes loom over the horizon, we have one more thing to show you all!

"We are a community in which we aspire to help one another out to become better writers in many ways. Taken from our homes into this majestic realm to achieve ways to improve and to enjoy a personal connection with the land we have come to love and a show we all enjoy!" Several cheers exploded at his words.

He grinned and lifted his arms to cease the shouts. Quieting, people waited for him to speak. "Like many communities of education there are rules we must abide in order to enjoy our environment, make friends and connect as any community should. Follow the rules, keep to the code of conduct and you will enjoy every second of your stay here." He paused for a moment before taking a similar stance to that of his partner, his voice suddenly taking a very grave and sharp tone.

"But if you break our rules, misbehave and cause problems to those around you…there will be consequences."

He nodded to someone on the outside of the slab and the firebenders joined in a circle behind him before shooting out more jets of flame into the sky. When they finished, what embers remained in the sky vanished behind a holographic projection much like the projection Wolfwood had extracted from Jackie's card when they were returning to the tour group.

The projection glowed, some places brightening up than others and a video of a grand and ominous building circled above them, its angle showing them its horrifying splendor from a bird's eye view. As the sky darkened slowly the picture became clearer and Jackie's stomach dropped to her feet as she recognized it. The can of soda Jackie held fell to the ground by her feet as she stared at the image above them in horror.

"Behold, The Hallway of Endless Sentences!" Jake Wu exclaimed. Jackie looked back at Jake with surprise and looked back to the feed. The holograph brightened for a moment and Jackie felt some relief to see that the building only bore a striking resemblance to the Hallway of the Never After. Taking in a deep breath, Jackie tried to still her rapidly beating heart.

"Here we will learn to watch things like grammar issues, spelling mistakes and the like. In published works when one finds a sentence without its punctuation we call it 'Ongoing Sentences' or 'Endless Sentences' because one does not know when one sentence ends and another begins. This location takes on those errors and transforms hallways that combine and stretch into one massive maze." As he spoke the image moved, zooming into the building where people could see the twisting and turning of hallways into a confusing knot of turns and directions.

"Harassment, Bullying, Disrespect towards your peers, teachers and staff, Initiating Illegal bending Kai's, Stealing, Damaging of School Property, Cheating and other violations of rules dictated in the student handbook will receive an appropriate amount of warnings and citations. If the citations are not met and warnings disregarded you will be sent to the Hallway of Endless Sentences! This is not a happy place, people. Even with a map card it would be incredibly difficult to find your way out of the Hallway. There students encounter locations where they can answer questions you would be able to answer once you learn grammar rules and so forth. The more questions students answer correct the more time is taken off from their sentence."

Jake paused for a moment as the Hologram shuddered for a moment. Several hands shot into the air and Jake pointed at one.

"How many warnings will one receive before being sent there?" Someone asked.

"It depends on the severity of your transgression," Jake replied. "Up to three warnings will be given and four citations handed if the three warnings are disregarded. If you receive a fifth citation and do not meet with a headmaster to handle it, you will be picked up by security and taken to the Hallway."

"Is the labyrinth in like a separate dimension?" Someone else asked, "The building doesn't look big enough to house it." Jackie swallowed at that, remembering the other deadly location.

"In a sense," Jake replied. "The only difference is that it is always open to this side of the portal, so think of it as a separate space."

"People don't die in there, do they?" murmurs exploded among the crowd and people looked around a bit frantic. Jackie felt her own nerves begin to work up. The gloom of the building she had stumbled into appearing within her mind's eye, the terrible promise the plaque had declared left her heart feeling like it had been thrown in a paper bag and vacuumed sealed tight.

"If you mean they get lost and never return, no. That has never happened." Jake insisted, his voice wavering slightly before coughing. Jackie frowned, and it might have just been in her head but she swore the cough had been forced. Someone threw him a blessing and he continued. "Every person who enters there is assigned a certain amount of time to serve; the moment that time is up that person is immediately removed from the space. Nothing dangerous ever happens there and it is very safe. So, no, people do not die in there."

Something wasn't right. Jackie felt her stomach twist; the dark feeling of foreboding did not ease even with Jake's words. She looked away from the makeshift stage to give Rufio a scratch behind the ears when, amongst the heavy crowd, she found herself caught within the fierce gaze of Wolfwood. Black onyx eyes bore into hers with a potent stare and suddenly, oh so very suddenly, everything seemed to make sense.

He knew…something. Whatever that was he had known all along. He had gone after her because of the direction she had been headed and he had been charged with making sure whatever it was she found she would put it out of mind. Surely, that must have been the reason. That must _be _the reason. But what was it that he knew and why the insistence of silence?

An abrupt surge of anger filled her chest and before she could register anything aside from the darkness of his eyes and the way his stare irritated her desire for answers she had dumped her bag of chips on Elise's hands with a quick, "Be right back," and marched her way towards the raven haired youth.

Keeping the intense staring match between them uninterrupted, Jackie pushed her way through the crowd. Not bothering with uttering polite 'excuse me's of any kind, she elbowed her way towards Wolfwood, completely ignoring small yelps and indignant grunts of annoyance. Jake's voice followed her as she walked but she did not bother to listen, her friends would do that for her. Wolfwood remained unmoved following her with his gaze. He did not show his surprise at her sudden impulse to near him. If anything, he seemed to have been expecting her to do just that.

Upon reaching him she tightened her gaze into a glare, "We need to talk."

One of his eyebrows rose, yet aside from that his expression was unchanged and unmoved. Before she could stop herself her hand had shot towards and glued itself to his wrist and she dragged him towards a less crowded location. Wolfwood made no move to remove her hand and followed with no protest. People moved away as Jackie stormed her way past them and soon they were a good several yards away from the rest of the student body.

"What do you want?" He asked after she dropped his hand, frowning at her sudden urgency for privacy. Jackie glanced back to the crowd. They were at a safe distance away from listening ears.

"You're not telling me something…" She said suddenly, turning on him. Wolfwood remained silent as he stared at her. "And I want to know what it is."

"You're worried about nothing. You heard Jake, It has never happened. Let it go."

"I never mentioned Jake." Jackie smirked. Wolfwood's lips tightened into a thin line before looking away. Jackie waited a moment for him to speak. When he made no move to come clean, Jackie heaved a sigh that sounded very much like a growl.

"When we returned from the Hallway of the Never After, you insisted it was nothing but a ghost story." Jackie began, trying and failing at keeping the frustration from her voice. "I figured you were just trying to keep me from losing my head and assuming something dangerous and for a while I took your word for it. But you've been oddly persistent in my forgetting all about it."

Wolfwood watched her for a moment with a strange expression before letting out an amused scoff, "You're looking too much into this, Jackie." He said. "I can see why you were taken here, though. You have much promise in being a writer. With an imagination like that you can come up with all kinds of good stories to read."

"If you're trying to distract me, it's not working." Jackie snapped. "Just give me an answer."

"I already did. It's just an old building someone probably used to create a troll." He replied, lightheartedly. As if trying to calm down a child who was too scared to sleep in the dark. "The headmasters probably closed off the area because it was risky for others. I'm sure the plaque was just some stupid practical joke to scare students into falling in line."

"Now, how could you possibly know that if you're just as new here as I am?" Jackie scoffed, seeing through his words.

"I've been living here in this world for almost a week." He shrugged. "I've had little else to do but read and look up information from this school." It was a good explanation. If it had been anyone else they would've eaten it all up with a spoon, but something in the way he said that sounded off, monotonous. Condescending even…as if he had rehearsed it. Jackie tightened her jaw and pushed her face closer to his with as dangerous an air as she could give it.

"What are you hiding?" Jackie demanded.

"I am not hiding anything," Wolfwood said, meeting her gaze evenly.

"Then why are you persistent? Why do you care if I am bothered by this situation or not? What is it about that building that you need to cover up with lie? I need to know."

"There is nothing to know," His voice taking an unexpected sharpness. Jackie stared into his eyes, before letting out a thin hiss of irritation.

"Fine," She said airily, "Then I hope you don't mind if I ask the Headmasters themselves."

Wolfwood's eyes suddenly hardened into steel. "Let it go, Ortega." He warned lowly, "Don't go digging in places you don't belong. You don't want to end up in a bigger mess than you could handle."

"Then answer me!" Jackie snapped, staring him down. The two stared at each other as if testing to see who would cave in first. Wolfwood's eyes were sharp and irritated, Jackie remained defiant.

"Why are you insisting that I completely forget about that place?" Jackie asked after a moment of tense silence.

"It's for your own good," Wolfwood said.

"Explain it to me," Jackie spat.

Wolfwood took in a deep breath and exhaled slowly, closing his eyes. A muscle in his jaw twitched. Jackie crossed her arms and shifted into a stance that would allow her easy access to her bending, just in case he tried something funny. Then again, she wasn't certain if he was or wasn't a bender. More so, she wasn't sure if she could actually take him in a battle. Everything from his body stature to his clothes and stance told her he knew how to fight and fight well. Besides, she had just barely accessed her power to bend. If she were able to focus enough to pull a rock into the air she would probably hurt herself instead of him. Still, she was sure the fact she could bend was something he was not privy to, and she could still use that to her advantage. It might even give her the element of surprise.

'_I'll need to play this smart,' _Jackie thought. She's been in plenty fights since she was small. Most of her life she had lived in southern Miami in Florida before her parents moved to Colorado when she was twelve. If he did attack she would not go down without a fight.

He let out another sigh and Jackie relaxed for a moment, wondering if he was finally going to tell her what the big secret was. Prepared for battle or for some kind of answer Jackie was sure she had been, what she had not expected was for Wolfwood to do something completely different.

"Try to understand," He said with such confounding gentleness it threw her off guard. His eyes opened and he looked as if he were looking at a dear friend instead of someone who was challenging him. Jackie felt her throat tighten, astonished at the softness of his eyes.

"I am trying to protect you, Jackie. Don't you want to focus on your studies and get back home to your family? If you keep your nose clean and work hard, you just might even meet Zuko or Aang. You wouldn't have to worry about losing your bending either." Jackie's shoulders hitched in surprise, her eyes widening at his words. _He knew_. Of course, he knew. She wasn't the quietest person around when it came to her bending.

Then, he smiled, actually _smiled_ at her. "Don't you think you're over reacting? This place has been created for the purpose of people improving their work and meeting the characters of a show beloved by many people and it is a safe place. Do you honestly think they would let people in here if death was an actual probably factor? The rules even explain that if you reach the slightest hint of danger you'd be sent home. So why heed the creepy promise of some idiot's idea of a joke?"

Jackie felt at a loss. Biting her lip, Jackie tried to clear her mind from what he said. It was true, she was here for a reason and that was to work on her writing. Not unearthing some deep, dark mystery that was better off where it was. If she just bowed her head and did as she was told she could even meet the characters of Avatar! Isn't that what she always wanted? Of course she did.

Jackie nodded for a moment, calmed. It made sense, what he said. If this place was truly a danger than no one would've been allowed here much less built a school here. She was just overreacting; these past two days have clearly taken a toll on her imagination. Then something Wolfwood said stood out in her mind and that made her curiosity itch.

"Whoa… wait, what do you mean 'protect me'? Protect me from what?" She asked, frowning with some effort. Wolfwood's light gaze hardened for an instant and her resolve returned with a vengeance. "I'm not buying this, stop trying to trick me and just tell me the truth!" Jackie exclaimed, the familiar flame of anger allowing her to burn through the false comfort of his words. Wolfwood took a few steps towards her, whether menacing or otherwise Jackie did not know.

Jackie stepped, wary at the sudden intensity to his gaze when her back struck the trunk of a sapling and she realized she was cornered. Immediately calling upon her ability to bend she tried to lift up a rock to strike him with until his hands latched onto her arms with a vice like grip, forcing her against the tree. She stifled another gasp as Wolfwood closed the space between them save two feet and he stared into her eyes with that same unsettling softness. Her stomach twisting with nervousness as her cheeks burned at the compromising proximity. His presence was so strong she could feel the heat from his body and for a moment she wondered if he was really a firebender.

His smile, although now seeming forced, did not falter as he glanced down at her lips and Jackie froze in complete panic, cheeks flushing with intense heat. "W-w-what are you doing?" She squeaked, pressing herself tight against the tree when he blocked every movement from her escaping.

"Listen close," He said. Jackie gulped as his eyes bore down into her eyes. At this distance she could see the threat underlying in his black onyx gaze. "You're here for one reason and one reason only and that is to become a better writer. You have no business trying to dig up things that shouldn't matter to you. If you wish to be safe and enjoy what time you'll have here, you _will back off_." Jackie flinched, his voice suddenly cold and commanding.

"I can't keep you safe if you start making irreversible mistakes. Do you understand?" His eyes flashed dangerously for a moment before resuming their soft edge. He breathed slowly and Jackie shuddered as his warm breath brushed her neck.

Unable to take anymore of his presence, Jackie gave a quick nod before looking away from his burning stare. "Say it," He whispered, closing in on her. Jackie's heart burst into a run when his grip on her arms slid toward her shoulders in a way that send chills running up and down her spine.

She glared darkly at him before nodding, "…Fine."

He gave her wrist a quick, warning squeeze before letting go. "Glad to hear it," he said. His voice taking an odd, cheerful tone before he pulled away.

"Is there something more you'd like to discuss?" He asked. Jackie clenched her teeth tight but said nothing.

"Good. I'll see you around." He said before turning around and walking back towards the crowd. Jackie watched him go before clenching her fists, after realizing they had been shaking. "Don't forget you still owe me lunch." He called over his shoulder and she gritted her teeth.

"Wait!" She exclaimed and he paused in his stride before turning to look at her, his face carefully flat. This kid was good, playing with his looks to push a deal on her. Well, she wasn't quite finished and she had one more trick up her sleeve. She needed something to hold on to him, something she could use against him in the future.

"Give me your name." Jackie said, squaring her shoulders. Wolfwood frowned in confusion.

"Wolfwoo—" He began before Jackie took several wide steps towards him.

"Your real name, Wolfwood." She growled. "Give me your name and I'll keep my word and stay out of this business."

For the first time since their interaction he looked taken aback with surprise, eyebrows lifting to hide behind dark bangs. He smirked at her before looking away, chuckling. The sound was so smooth and melodious Jackie struggled to contain a blush that threatened to intensify from the sound of his laughter alone.

"Tell you what," Wolfwood said looking back at her with a handsome smirk, the last of the sunlight bounced off his dark eyes and bright white teeth. Jackie cleared her throat to keep her from staring at him. "You keep your word and work on improving your skills… and I'll think about giving you my real name."

Jackie pursed her lips before letting out a scoff. "No deal," She said, waving off his offer with a hand. "I'm keeping my word as long as I know I've some leverage over you."

He laughed again and Jackie steeled herself. "Leverage? Then... how about a kiss then?"

Jackie glowered at him, the blush on her cheeks spilling over her face, "Don't make me hurt you, boy."

Wolfwood smirked again before shaking his head. "You'll have to live without it, Ortega."

"Fine," She said with a shrug. "I guess I can't promise I'll stick to my word. I'll go talk with the Headmasters and you'll have to live with that." Jackie gave him a quick nod before pushing past him and moving to walk away.

"We both know you won't go to the Headmasters because you aren't sure what they'd do to you in those circumstances." Jackie froze in her steps, closing her eyes in a grimace. "You could very well be thrown back into your dimension and cease from being here at all." Jackie didn't move.

He was right. For all she knew she could get expelled for trespassing alone.

She had played into his hand again. Blast him.

"The way I see it, you've got two options," suddenly, before Jackie could even register, he grabbed her arm and yanked her back. Jackie let out a yelp of surprise as he pulled her around to face him and before she knew what had happened Wolfwood grabbed the side of her face and rammed a kiss over her lips. It was fierce and punishing, taking the breath out her lungs. When he pulled away Jackie let out a gasp. She looked at him in shock, a hand reaching to press against her lips. He gave her a dark smirk and then let her go.

"There's your leverage." He licked his lips as he pulled from her completely. A shiver coursed through her body as he gave her a vicious grin.

"You keep your word and I'll think about giving you my name. Don't keep your word and I'll turn myself in for harassment and you lose your only connection with knowledge of what we both know. Because, unlike you, I can deal without a few secrets and can handle the cost."

"You cheating son of a—" Jackie began with a spark of outrage before he cut her off.

"You should've known better than to strike a deal with me," He said simply. Jackie threw him a heated glare, her heart slamming in her chest and cheeks flaming with humiliation and the knowledge he had stolen a kiss without her consent. She stared him down for a moment before rushing towards him, her hand flying in the air and towards his face faster than she would've thought possible.

The sound of flesh striking flesh reverberated in her ears. Her hand came away tingling with the sting of the contact. Wolfwood's face turned with the force but when he looked back at her he still bore that irritating and mischievous smirk and his eyes gleamed with triumph.

Jackie let out a frustrated snarl before turning on her heels and walking back into the crowd. The complete and utter _nerve_—! He must've known she would look to him for answers and that she would demand for it. He must've known and so he must have planned.

_If he thinks I'm going to let him win, he can forget it! _Jackie thought furiously. Whatever it was he was hiding she was going to find out all she had to do was come up with a plan to figure out what it was he was hiding and what she could do to ensure that making the choice to come here would be a mistake she would not be able to take back.

* * *

"We will now be taking the last tour of the day," Jake Wu announced over the crowd his companion shifting with mild impatience.

"We will be heading towards the Hallway of Endless Sentences." Elise pursed her lips with sudden unease. The short haired girl was not one to dwell on the heavy things of life unless she absolutely had to.

Yet, she had not forgotten the story Jackie had told her when she had run off after Rufio earlier that day. Of the ominous building and a plaque that promised something as heavy as certain death. Even she wasn't that reluctant to understand the gravity of that kind of encryption. Of course she brushed it aside after the boy – Wolfwood- appeared and told them it was just a ghost story.

It made sense. The place was obviously restricted. What better way to keep idiots from going somewhere restricted than sticking up a plaque that promised something not even an idiot would ignore?

Elise had put it out of her mind and did her best to have fun. It wasn't everyday you get sent to a place where you could meet the objects of your favorite show. There was nothing to worry about at all. As the group listened to Jake make his announcements, watch the firebenders give them a show and then watch the hologram appear in the sky, Elise was thoroughly enjoying the spectacle with the interest of any student until the sudden thump of something striking the ground caught her attention.

As she looked down and past the feet of her friends she saw a can of soda lying beside the black tabi slippers of Jackie. Looking up, Elise's eyes widened in surprised and confusion at the complete horror struck gaze in her friend's face. Frozen in place, cheeks pale and mouth agape with disbelief, Jackie stared at the hologram with fear and Elise could only wonder what on earth brought on her terror.

Jake Wu continued to announce information about the Hallway of Endless sentences yet Elise just watched Jackie with concern. The girl finally seemed to relax, as if the ghost she had seen had been revealed to only be a sheet with holes in it. As Jackie lifted a hand to give Rufio a scratch behind the ears, Elise moved to approach her.

"Hey, Jackie," Elise began, a bit worried. Frowning when the girl didn't acknowledge her, instead saw as her gaze was caught somewhere within the crowd. "Are you okay—" Elise spoke up again before Jackie interrupted her.

"Be right back," The brunette said quickly before shoving her bag of chips in her arms. Elise scrambled to grab the bag amongst the others she held on to.

"Uh, Hey – Jackie, wait!" Elise exclaimed but the girl had already disappeared amongst the people around them.

"Is everything okay?" Zane asked from behind. Elise moved about, trying to find her friend amongst the crowd.

"I'm…not sure…" She said with some uncertainty. Turning around, Elise found the concerned gaze of Mae Ling and she shook her head.

"You don't think…"Mae Ling trailed off. Rufio uttered a questioning gurgle before climbing on top of Mae Ling's head to look around, as if searching for Jackie. They weren't stupid. They both knew their friend had become more solemn since her return from the Hallway of the Never After.

Elise's normally bright face darkened with a sudden epiphany. _That was why she looked freaked out when she saw the hologram. She must've thought they were showing us the Hallway. But why would she just disappear…? _

Mae Ling bit her lip at Elise's silent reply. "Should we go after her? Make sure she's okay?"

The short-haired freedom fighter pressed her lips into a thin line, "I don't know. Maybe…"

"Where's Jackie?" Elise nearly jumped out of her own skin at the sudden voice behind her. Whirling around, she came face to face with Aoi.

"A-Aoi!" Elise gasped. "Jeez, no wonder Jackie's always a nerve wreck. You can't just sneak up on a person like that!" the fourteen-year-old exclaimed, laughing nervously. Aoi's eyes only narrowed as she looked at the two girls.

"What's going on?" Aoi asked. Mae Ling exchanged glances with Elise for a moment and Elise suddenly couldn't help but feel a twinge of uncertainty.

"Uh, Nothing…" Elise replied with an assertive tone. "I'm pretty sure Jackie went off to the bathroom or something."

"Oh really," Aoi asked, not entirely convinced.

"Well, yeah. You know, when you got to go, you got to go!" Elise assured with a bright, albeit nervous laugh.

Aoi watched the girls with something akin to suspicion before shaking her head. "I'm not sure what's really going on, but it will have to wait. Go get in your groups."

"What about Jackie?" Mae Ling asked glancing in the direction the other girl disappeared off to.

"You let me worry about Jackie." Aoi replied, "In the meanwhile, go get in your groups. The tour is about to begin." The two girls glanced back at each other again before walking off towards Kim.

For the first time since Elise was here, something didn't feel quite right. It _was _just a ghost story… right?

* * *

"How was your trip to the bathroom?"

"It was wonderful." Jackie said tartly, brushing past Aoi without so much as looking at her. Aoi's eyes narrowed slightly as the teenager stormed past her and towards the groups, taking a moment to snatch up her bag from the ground with such ferocity bits of dirt and grass were wrenched from the ground.

It didn't take long to find the girl. With a clever use of her whirligig, Aoi had been able to track Jackie down towards the edges of the clearing on the complete opposite side of where the bathrooms were located. That much didn't surprise her at all. Still, for Elise to blatantly lie to her like that…it was certainly worth investigating.

With a quick twitch of her lips, Aoi moved past several moving people as she neared Jackie's signature. The whirligig spun lazily, its tips glowing by her ear. The contraption was more than just a toy, as Jackie had deducted. It was a medium in which Aoi was able to access her abilities and those of the dimension they resided in. There was little she couldn't do with the whirligig. Of course, there was a price to be paid, but Aoi didn't want to think of that at the moment.

Finding the latest addition to the school was no hard feat, especially when said student was making her way towards Aoi's intended destination. At first, Aoi had thought the girl had gotten lost (yet again) and judging by Jackie's face she was almost certain of that theory until really studying the girl's face as she neared her.

There was a definite frustration in her face, but her cheeks and ears were such a bright red color and lips looked as if they had nearly been bitten off. She looked a bit too uncharacteristically angry for just getting lost. No… it was more than that. Something happened to have sparked this kind of rage in the usually receptive girl. Her snappy reply only asserted Aoi's theory.

Looking back in the direction of where Jackie had stormed from, Aoi's eyes widened with shock. With a brilliant red mark that looked distinctly shaped like a hand on his cheek, a raven haired young man who looked to be around Aoi's age made his way toward her as he sported a contented smirk. Aoi's eyes darkened with malice, knuckled paling as her fists tightened._ What in the hell is __**he **__doing here?_

"Hey there, Kat," He greeted with a usual nod.

"Wolfwood," She replied with a cool gaze, composing her face with a flat stare. "You know better than to call me that here."

"Ah, of course," He nodded sagely. "You're a Guide now. Real names are prohibited for you."

The ghost of a scowl flitted across her face instantaneously before she assumed a less interested stance. "I take it the Headmasters allowed you to return."

"Would I be here otherwise?" He chuckled, extending his arms outward in a mock bow. "I'm only surprised the Headmasters didn't tell you about my re-admittance. I had expected you to be more integrated in their circle." Dark brown eyes met Onyx with a vicious glare.

"What do you want with the girl?" Aoi asked, ignoring the jibe hidden within his words. Wolfwood's smirk broadened if only slightly, arms dropping at his sides.

"What makes you think I want anything to do with her? I returned to finish what I started, nothing more, and nothing less." He replied with a shrug. Aoi growled and lifted a hand towards him with unprecedented speed. The blades of the whirligig spun with tremendous velocity as the edges emitted a brilliant white glow that seemed harsher with the oncoming darkness. Wolfwood let out a surprised sound as his arms were suddenly yanked to his sides. The rest of his body stiffened with a great pressure.

The pressure of her power pulled him somewhat in the air, his feet just barely brushing the dirt beneath them. Aoi approached him with a casual stride, yet her eyes narrowed as she refused to break away the staring match between them. Wolfwood somehow remained impassive, his lack of reaction grating on her patience.

"You have gotten much stronger since my departure." Wolfwood commented once she was within arm's length from him. Her fingers twitched from their clawed angles to a pinching motion – as if tugging at an invisible string – and his mouth was then effectively shut, the whirligig spinning so fast by her ear the white glowing edges blurred into a shimmering circle.

"I don't want to hear anything out of you besides the answer to my question," Aoi hissed, her eyes looked more vicious as the pulsing halo of white light beside her ear cast shadows with each rapid rotation. "_What do you want with Jackie_?"

Wolfwood's face was flat in response and Aoi finally released his mouth from her hold. He stretched his lips from the spider web feeling that faded with her power.

"Release me and I'll think about giving you an answer," He said.

"Give me an answer and I'll think about not crushing you like a grape." Aoi replied, her hand curling into an even tighter claw. Wolfwood winced, his body tensing with the added strength. He searched her gaze for a moment, trying to catch some kind of weakness no doubt. He will have no such luck, Aoi was confident in that. She had the upper hand this time.

His mouth tightened into a line and his gaze hardened, Aoi's lips curled with irritation. "I'd think about giving me an answer sometime soon, Wolfwood." The hum the whirligig made as it spun increased in pitch as the halo brightened, obscuring half her face in shadow.

Wolfwood grimaced, his lips tightening over his lips as he let out a grunt of pain. "Your persuasive powers have leveled up quite nicely, Aoi." His lips turned in a bitter smile, yet it looked far more sinister under the darkening light of the fading sunset and the white light of her whirligig. Another long moment past between them and the voices of the crowd around them began to fade as the groups began their trek to the final tour.

"Very well, I think it is about time you knew something the Headmasters have not been completely honest with you about." Wolfwood breathed, struggling to keep his statement as level as possible despite the tight pressure of her hold. Aoi's brow lifted at his words yet made no move to release him.

"What do you know about Ariadne's Curse and the Hallway of The Never After?"

"It is nothing but a tale to keep students from vandalizing school property," Aoi scoffed. "It's a basic fact."

Wolfwood chuckled, "It's a little more than just a tale, little Blue."

Aoi frowned, before she could ask him more a sudden blast of air pushed hair into her eyes and the two of them looked in the direction of the wind. Standing no more than a couple of yards away were the tall slim figures of Professor Jillie Rose and a young Asian looking student from the Air Nomad dorms.

A dark gaze stained the usual gentleness of her face and to Aoi was astonished to see her wielding two very large dual bladed tonfas.

"Aoi," Jillie called, her voice not betraying the grim look over her face. "Release him."

Aoi looked back at Wolfwood and upon seeing no reaction dropped her arm and backed away, the whirligig ceasing its precarious spinning and halo of light. Wolfwood dropped to his knees with a groan, his hands steadying him on the ground as he was released.

"Andrea, take the young man back to his group. I'm sure his tour guide is a bit worried about his sudden absence." Jillie ordered without so much as looking at the girl. The young Asian girl nodded and launched into the air with a quick spin of airbending prowess, her clothes billowing around her before landing next to the still crouching Wolfwood.

Aoi scowled as the young girl helped the raven-haired youth to his feet before the two made their way towards the scarce crowd away from them. Aoi turned her attention to the armed teacher with a guarded look.

"I was in the middle of an interrogation, Professor." Aoi said stiffly.

Jillie spun the Tonfas before sheathing them behind her back, her green-blue irises were darker as the sunset pushed into twilight. "You have more pressing matters to deal with, my dear. I'm sure you're handling the case with a Flame battle in South Campus?"

"That case has been handled," Aoi replied. "I sent the two instigators to the Metalbenders for disciplinary action."

"The Agni Kai?"

"Supervised."

"The Spam Devils?"

"Quarantined," Aoi sighed, frustrated. "Is there more to your arrival or are you asking for a report I've already filed to Ranai for review? If the latter, I could have a transfer of those records sent to you as soon as the Final Tour is done."

"I'm afraid that isn't all," the auburn haired woman responded. Aoi shifted her weight on her left leg and waited. Jillie heaved a sigh, something Aoi was not used to seeing at all. "Have you noticed anything…unusual…with your new charge?"

"Jackie?" Aoi asked, surprised. "How do you mean?"

"Does she appear…different?" Jillie asked. Aoi's eyes narrowed and suddenly Wolfwood's words echoed in the back of her mind.

"What's going on, Professor?"

The older woman fell silent for a moment, eyes looking away as if in deep contemplation. She opened her mouth as if to say something before shaking her head. "Keep on your toes, Aoi. And if you see anything unusual or notice something is out of place with Jackie let me know as soon as you can. So, I ask again, is there anything wrong or out of place?"

If Aoi needed anymore reason to go hunt Wolfwood down it was this. Something was terribly amiss, and if her own teacher was hiding it from her then Aoi knew that this was no regular secret topic. She had sworn to protect Jackie, and if it meant beating the truth from Wolfwood's mouth then Aoi would be more than eager to do so. But for now, she would keep quiet until she figured out what to do with both her charge and her old rival.

"No," Aoi replied evenly. "Everything is fine."

Jillie nodded, "Good. What was that boy bothering you about?"

Aoi thought quickly. "I caught him harassing a student; I was making sure he wasn't doing it again and if he knew of other people that were making the same problems."

The airbender smiled at her, "You're an excellent Guide. I'm sure you've scared him enough from making the same mistake again."

Aoi nodded once and the teacher pulled out a small contraption from beneath her orange robes. The contraption snapped open into a sleek and long glider and before Aoi could say anything more, Jillie took off into the indigo sky.

Aoi scowled at the disappearing figure of her professor. Something wasn't right, Aoi was sure of it. The question was…

Why would Jackie be involved?

* * *

_**Midori Aoi: THE PLOT THICKENS! **_

_**Did you think I was just going to make this fic only educational? Please! I've read my share of boring Fanfiction Academies and I dropped them as soon as they didn't excite me. I've always found that my writing improved as long as whatever I was readying and studying from kept me on the edge of my seat. I'm hoping this method will also help you guys along. **_

_**One more thing: I WILL NO LONGER BE ACCEPTING CHARACTERS THROUGH REVIEWS. IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO HAVE A CHARACTER IN THIS YOU MUST FOLLOW THE FORMAT I HAVE GIVEN AND SEND IT TO ME VIA PRIVATE MESSAGE! ALL OTHER ENTRIES WILL BE IGNORED. **_

_**On that note: **_**I AM HOLDING A SMALL CONTEST FOR CHARACTERS THAT COULD BE JACKIE'S TEACHER – IF YOU HAVE SOMETHING IN MIND SEND IN YOUR CHARACTERS. UP TO TWO CHARACTER ENTRIES WILL BE ACCEPTED PER PERSON. IN ORDER FOR THIS CONTEST TO WORK YOU MUST SEND ME A LINK OR A SMALL PARAGRAPH DEMONSTRATING YOUR SKILL IN CREATIVE WRITING FOLLOWING A PROMPT. FOR MORE DETAILS AND FOR THE PROMPT - GO TO MY PROFILE. **

_**COMING UP! **_

_**The Final Tour has begun and the students will get a taste of the Hallway of Endless Sentences! But something goes wrong with the tour and Jackie gets separated from her group! Alone and lost within the maze, Jackie tries to find a way to get out but she will need the help of someone who has the ability to see through the shifting hallways and disorienting turns of the dark ominous building. Will Jackie keep her wits about her and overcome her latest trial in time to be assigned a teacher? FIND OUT NEXT TIME!**_

_**SPECIAL THANK YOU TO ~JILLIE ROSE! Go send her love, kiddies! This story would not be nearly as awesome if not for her beta-reading!**_

_**And like always,**_

_**LET IT ROCK!  
**_


	8. Ch7: Caught in a Maze

_Midori Aoi: I...am so sorry. I realize it's been a long time since I last updated. My life is just filled with work, work, helping in plays, helping around my home and expenses. I've little free time to catch my breath much less to actually sit down and work on an update, but I'm trying. This is one of those rare times I've the time to sit and work on this whilst wrestling with other plot bunnies that keep tearing me up inside. _

_I recently started watching Doctor Who with my brother and I immediately fell in love with the show. If you haven't watched it yet – __**beware**__. It's HIGHLY Addicting. (Plus, David Tennant is a complete FOX. I absolutely adore his performances. *siiiiiiiigh* heheheheeee…*AHEM*) So… on with the show._

_LAST THING – NO MORE CHARACTERS THROUGH REVIEWS. I already warned you guys about it, if you want a character in here SEND ME A PRIVATE MESSAGE WITH THE CHARACTER PROFILE FORMAT (You can find that in the prologue. Just scroll down to the end.) If I see another character request on a review I will delete it – NO QUESTIONS ASKED. So… if you want me to place your char in the story, PM ME… Cool? Good… NOW. _

On this chapter!  
The group moves towards their final tour – the Hallway of Endless Sentences but something goes terribly wrong and Jackie gets separated from her group. Will she be able to keep her wits about her or will she succumb to the fear of this new nightmare?

* * *

**The Avatar: TLA Fan-fiction Writer's Academy**

_By Midori Aoi_

**Chapter 7:**

**Caught in a Maze  
**

* * *

The fury that surged within Jackie's chest hadn't lasted long.

When Jackie had returned from her confrontation with Wolfwood, the rage rolled off her person in waves, pushing away those with the sense to avoid oncoming wrath. Elise and Mae Ling watched in surprise as she marched off in the direction in which the other tours where headed, completely disregarding the calls from Kim.

Sure enough the only force that could stop her was the earth beneath her wrapping around her ankles, effectively gluing her to the spot. Jackie let out a yelp of irritation and made to bend the rock from her feet when Kim popped out from the earth in front of her with a frown and crossed arms.

"Hold your horses there, Jack." Kim said, shaking the dust off her long skirt. "Our group remains together, so don't think about just marching off as you see fit. As long as you're in my group, I'm in charge of you. Clear?"

Jackie glared at her earthen manacles before nodding stiffly. "Clear…"

Kim nodded in response and dropped an open palm. Jackie's manacles disintegrated into fine dirt. She could feel dust in her shoes, but she made no move to get rid of it.

The sound of footsteps approaching had Jackie tensing up, prepared to lash out if Wolfwood thought it was funny to taunt her again.

It was only Elise. "Hey!"

Jackie sighed, and Elise looked concerned. "Is something wrong?"

Jackie looked up from her staring contest with the dirt by her shoes into the nervous faces of Elise and Mae Ling. Elise tucked a loose strand behind her ear quickly; a nervous twitch.

Mae Ling twisted Rufio's tail around her fingers, letting the soft fur slide between her fingers. Behind them stood Zane, obviously there more for company and curiosity than moral support, but he looked nervous too. Even Rufio glanced at her curiously from a safe distance behind Mae Ling's head.

"It's nothing," was Jackie's solemn reply, and she looked away, embarrassed.

"Sure could've fooled me it was something," Elise retorted. Despite her somewhat amused tone, Jackie could plainly hear the reluctant edge, as if she were unsure how to talk to her in this state.

Jackie looked at the girls before her and smiled, before reaching past them to scratch Rufio behind the ears. The lemur let out an appreciative gurgle and leaned into her touch. Glancing quickly around her, Jackie saw that both Kanari and Autumn had disappeared, no doubt heading out with their groups already. She was glad for that. Kanari had seemed like the kind of girl who enjoyed arguments, and in her volcanic state, Jackie was sure it wouldn't have ended well.

"I'm fine. There was just something I needed to take care of."

"Did you take care of it?" Mae Ling asked, cocking her head slightly to the side. A flash of familiar black and green behind the shorter girl made Jackie glance up behind her only to catch the profile of the boy whom had viciously kissed her just moments prior. Jackie felt her stomach dip with a _feeling_ that was too close to fear than Jackie could handle and she shook it off with malice. Looking back at her friend she allowed herself to soften.

"No… not yet," Jackie responded, making sure her voice carried enough for Wolfwood to hear. His eyes flashed towards her for an instant when she glanced back behind Mae.

_Good, _Jackie thought smugly, more pleased to know that _feeling_ did not resurface. _I'm not through with you yet._

"Alright, everyone's here!" Kim called out, and whatever tension there was between Jackie and Wolfwood was pushed aside as the group began to arrange behind the tan and amiable guide. Jackie looked back at her friend. Mae Ling's dark eyes blinked at her with some confusion. Jackie only gave her a bright, albeit forced, smile and moved past them towards the larger group.

"I have to get going," Zane said, tugging a nod towards his group. Elise pursed her lips with mild disappointment and nodded.

"I'll see you later?" she asked and he smiled, gave her a nod and headed off.

"Ooh, does Eli have a boyfriend now?" Mae Ling teased with an impish grin as soon as the boy was out of earshot. The fourteen-year-old girl's face burned scarlet at the comment and Jackie couldn't help the laugh that escaped her when Elise scrambled to face them.

"M-M-Mae, come on!" Elise sputtered, "I just barely met the guy, I mean, JEEZ! Besides," she huffed, "I don't even care about that sort of stuff."

Mae Ling giggled, "Whatever you say, Hun, whatever you say."

"Alright, kids, listen up!" Kim's voice interrupted whatever would have followed. The three girls turned to look at the guide with some surprise. If anyone could make their voice carry like a drill sergeant and still sound amiable enough to be a sibling, it was Kim. "We're the last tour to go inside the Hallway of Endless Sentences –" Kim was cut off by someone gasping.

"Whoa, hold on. No one ever said anything about going inside." Jackie turned to see it was the same short kid from the soccer game, his face pale beneath the rising light of the moon.

Kim sighed, scratching at the back of her head. "Sorry, Buyo –"

"My name's Jhybu,"

"– If you want to complain it was Avatar Korra's idea. You might want to take it up with her."

"Whoa, WHOA, KORRA IS HERE?" Bradley exclaimed, eyes bulging with fan boy glee. Kim's face fell as everyone burst into excited chatter. Jackie instantly began to think of the characters of the latest upcoming series with mounting enthusiasm. It was one thing having to wait for a show that hadn't aired yet, but being able to meet those same characters before the show aired? She wasn't sure if she could handle that much fan-service!

"CALM DOWN!" Kim snarled and everyone proceeded to quiet down, almost ducking due to the sheer force of her voice. Kim gave them a hard stare before grinning widely.

"Yes, some of the characters of The Legend of Korra are here –"

"No way!" someone squealed.

"SHUT UP, BRAD!" Kim Earthbended a decent sized rock at the guy's gut; Brad only had time to let out a yelp before falling to the ground. Those around him moved aside to avoid any more possible attacks.

"But… it wasn't… me…" He groaned from the ground.

"Anyway," Kim continued, unperturbed despite the nervous glances people gave Brad's fallen figure. "Some of the characters of the show are here – more to aid in the construction of the adjoining world. Most of what we have here is based on the world of The Last Airbender, and since more stories will begin being written for the Legend of Korra the school is undergoing remodeling so as to fit the canon in that series. However since it has not been aired yet, no students are allowed near the L.o.K characters until the series premiers."

A collective chorus of groans and disappointed sighs filled the air after her announcement. The short boy – Jhybu – shot his hand in the air once more. "But you said I could–"

"That was a joke, Jibby." Kim said with a roll of her eyes. Jhybu dropped his hand with a soft frown, someone clapped him on the shoulder and he sighed.

"Anyway, we've been assigned as the last group to go inside the Hallway. We will only be inside for a few minutes, long enough so you all understand what you'll be up against if you decide to mess with things you shouldn't."

Jackie felt a sudden shock of lightning in her stomach at the déjà vu caused by Kim's last words and turned her attention to the tan guide, searching, yet Kim had already turned around and was leading the group off. Jackie watched the back of the older woman's head with a troubled frown.

"Come on, Cadet." She felt a knock on her head and looked to face a smirking Wolfwood. With a clever comeback on the tip of her tongue, Jackie made to brush past him only to have Elise yank her by her elbow away from him and onwards.

"This is going to be crazy!" Elise exclaimed with an excited grin. Jackie nodded silently, turning to look for Wolfwood but the boy had disappeared amongst the group.

As the last of the sunlight faded it became more difficult to see ahead of them, even with the moonlight. There was a sudden flicker of green ahead of the group, which burst into a gentle glow. Jackie blinked and looked to see Aoi, just a few feet from Kim, holding an orb of green light. Her whirligig spun wildly, white light flashing at the tips of the blade in what looked like sparks.

As they neared, Aoi tossed the green sphere to Kim, who caught it with an outstretched hand. She spun it in her fingers like a basketball and the green ball of light – upon closer inspection, Jackie could see it was made from clear glass and that the light emanated from inside – rose from her palm just a few inches to hover in the air.

"What is that?" Mae Ling asked curiously, eyes transfixed on the glow.

"This is a Mingxing." Kim answered with a grin. "That's Chinese for 'Star', if I'm correct. We have a lot of cool gadgets here in this dimension. This is the equivalent of a lantern or flashlight. However, unlike with a regular lantern or flashlight, with the Mingxing you can control the strength of luminosity from a small flicker to a blinding light. All Guides and most Fetchers are given one, but it's possible you can win one of these babies as a prize in one of the contests we hold here."

Elise let out an appreciative whistle. In a split second, Rufio took off and flew towards Kim, her greedy little paws reaching to snatch the floating orb of light from Kim's grasp. Mae Ling let out a quick gasp before pushing past people, hissing at Rufio to stay away from Kim.

"Ah, ah," Kim sang, turning off the light with a quick grab and yank from the Lemur's reach. "This is no monkey toy, Rufy."

Rufio chattered, sounding confused, and flew around Kim in search of the missing light. Mae Ling managed to catch the flying lemur midair before the animal tried other tactics to grab the Mingxing.

"If you're going to keep the lemur," Kim said as she turned the Mingxing back on. "You'll have to file a permission slip to the Headmasters, keep that in mind."

Even in the dark light of the evening, Jackie could see Mae Ling's face burn hot with embarrassment as she nodded and sputtered a quick apology and her understanding.

"You think they have leashes or collars for Rufio?" Elise asked as the group moved onwards. Mae Ling made her way back to the two and catching Elise's statement scowled and shook her head vehemently.

Clutching Rufio to her chest in a more protective gesture Mae Ling said firmly, "We are NOT collaring Rufio."

"Hold on, Mae," Jackie said gently, "That might not be such a bad idea. We wouldn't want Rufio to get lost right?"

Mae Ling didn't budge. "Rufio is our friend, not a pet. If she wishes to take off and do her thing I'm not going to stop her. Besides, Aang didn't have to put a collar or a leash on Momo so I don't see why we have to with Rufio."

Elise placed a hand on Jackie's shoulder before she could protest. "Mae's got a point. It's not like either of us can take Rufio back to our world when all this is over with."

Jackie sobered at Elise's comment. "When we get sent back to our world… chances are we won't be able to hang out like we can right now."

Mae Ling's scowl faded to a more solemn look. "I live in Seattle."

"Indianapolis," Elise jerked a thumb at her chest.

"Delta, Colorado." Jackie replied and the three girls let out a sigh. A small moment of silence passed between them, and the chatter of other people around them and the sound of footsteps against the ground was all that kept the silence from being overwhelming.

"Well," Elise began, perking up, "at least we're not countries away from each other. Plus, I'm sure we can Skype each other occasionally. We don't have to stop being friends."

Mae Ling smiled, "Yeah. It's not like we're going back to a world without a hope of communication. I'm sure as we get older we'll also be able to visit each other and stuff, right?"

The two girls turned their attention to Jackie and she watched them back with a hesitant look. Jackie moved a lot when she was young and she had many friends that she had lost contact with. She couldn't just outright promise them something that would break with the pressures of time. Yet, their looks were so hopeful, even somewhat naïve. And that was an innocence Jackie realized she didn't want to be responsible for tarnishing, so she smiled at the two girls and extended her arms to tug them into an embrace.

"Of course we will," Jackie chuckled. "We can even become friends on Facebook and stuff. Who says we have to stop being friends?"

The two girls nodded and giggled and returned the warm, albeit slightly awkward walking embrace. Rufio crawled around them quickly with a loud chattering curiosity before settling on top of Jackie's head and looking down at them with wide butter yellow eyes.

The remainder of their walk was occupied with stories they had read on the net and works they were working on themselves. Elise explained that as long as she studied hard she would probably get more people to review her work. Mae Ling had only shrugged, preferring to read than write and that being here was only a way for her to keep an eye on her younger brother and improve her choices in reading and helping others in their work. Jackie couldn't hide the embarrassment when she told the short version of how the Headmasters reacted to her work, and even though Mae Ling elbowed Elise in the gut the girl still couldn't hide her giggles very well. The older girl didn't mind as Elise giggled, in a sense it was kind of funny… in a brutal sort of way.

"Sorry," Elise finally choked out after heaving another bout of giggles. Mae Ling rolled her eyes and Rufio gave a curious gurgle.

"Don't worry about it," Jackie chuckled in response. "It's funny in a way."

Normally, Jackie would've been incredibly offended at the reaction Elise sent her but from what Jackie could tell the freedom fighter didn't harbor a single malicious bone in her body and so it was easy to shrug off the minor irritation that came with having someone laugh about a relatively humbling event.

"But hey, it's what we're here for, innit?" Jackie grinned, "Improvement. We've got to start somewhere and by the end of these four months I'm going to write stories so fantastic people will trip over themselves to read."

"That's the spirit," Mae Ling agreed with a beautiful smile.

Elise nodded and clapped Jackie on the shoulder, "At least you're brave enough to post stuff on the net. I'm too embarrassed to show my work."

"So how'd you get here?" Jackie asked, surprised. It wasn't hard to fall under the impression that recruitment usually was done do to things being posted on the internet… or well… almost posted as was her case.

"It's a bit hard to get, really," Elise shrugged, shoulders brushing the ends of her short hair. "Somehow, my work made it to one of the Fetchers. I've no idea how or why since all I write is stored in my hard drive or in a notebook I've got lying around in my room. Maybe they just have some kind of device that tells people of our interest in writing."

"It makes sense if you think about it," Mae Ling hummed, kicking at a loose pebble. "Maybe they have something that alerts them of potential. We're pretty much here just to learn how to harness our abilities, what we do with them is our choice."

Jackie considered Mae Ling's statement with slightly pursed lips. "It's a bit creepy, though. It's like their watching you or something…"

Elise uttered a low ghostly wail, wiggling her fingers at the girls. Under the green glow of the Mingxing she looked positively eerie but it was enough to make both Mae Ling and Jackie laugh at her antics. Rufio let out a squeak before hiding under Mae Ling's tunic and their laughter only increased at the small lemur's reaction.

The remainder of the walk was spent with the girls talking about other shared interests. Jackie found that despite their age difference she could really confide in the two younger teens. Perhaps it was something to do with the fact they were so inclined to literature and all its wonders that helped in speeding maturity. Jackie could tell both girls had dealt with things throughout their lives that helped such maturities along. Elise, albeit goofy and energetic, was quick witted and didn't flick her gaze at nearly everything around her like Jackie had done when she was her age. She was quite focused and gave Jackie the impression she knew more than she let on.

Mae Ling, despite spouting rants of her younger brother, was careful with her words. It was impressive how much thought she gave when asked a question, ensuring that what she said was straight to the point. Of course both girls did have tendencies to get carried away – but who wouldn't if thrown into a dimension that fulfilled your wildest dreams? – They were well grounded for girls in their early teens.

That or Jackie was just younger in spirit and heart than her chronological age suggested. Either case suited her just fine.

Laughing at a joke Elise had told, Jackie found herself enjoying the girls company. Yet the tiny little voice in the back of her mind that said, "_This won't last long. Before long, you'll be back in your world and you won't be able to see them again," _sobered her enough before she let herself completely entrust herself to her newest friends.

Glancing around at their group, Jackie's laughter was cut abruptly short.

There, standing like a wraith beside other people was the piercing presence of Wolfwood. Their gaze connected for an instant and the fury that had been sparked by his actions returned nearly full throttle. Jackie could only tear her hardened gaze from the onyx eyed boy before she found herself attacking herself, steeling herself from letting him get under her skin any more than he already did.

But his presence did not cease to prod at the back of her mind. With a lightened mood soured, Jacqueline Ortega could only count the seconds before the laughs around her faded to reverent silence as the towering and most dreaded edifice known as the "Hallway of Endless Sentences" loomed dangerously close to their approaching figures.

Swallowing the turmoil of emotions from clinging to her throat, Jackie squared her shoulders as they neared the building. Kim turned around abruptly, the Mingxing wobbling in the air above her hand.

"We are the last tour to enter this place," the tanned woman announced, her voice no longer carrying the laughing warmth it usually did. "Keep in mind that you will not be allowed to enter this place unless you have broken a code of conduct and that is after the given warnings. If your friend gets sent here, you cannot visit them for obvious reasons."

The silence that spread over the group was so strong not even Rufio dared break it and they watched as Aoi approached Kim with a quick nod.

"The building is, effectively, a maze." Aoi spoke, the whirligig's blades spinning by her ear at a less rapid pace and all manner of light was gone save the reflective flashes of light from the Mingxing. "Much like run on sentences they weave and warp but usually leave dead ends. Whilst you are inside, and you better pray to whatever Deity you worship that you don't, you are given a sentenced time.

"You can shorten your time inside the Hallways by answering grammatical questions or writing prompts. However, it isn't just an area where you walk aimlessly around. Each person taken into the Hallway is given a map and answers to those questions." An astounded murmur rose amongst the crowd at the revelation. Aoi lifted a hand and all noise ceased.

"However," Aoi's face hardened and a smile pulled at her lips. Beneath the light of the Mingxing she looked positively vampiric. "There is a ninety percent chance that that map and those answers could all be wrong and mislead you completely."

Chills and shivers coursed up and down Jackie's body and she suddenly felt her mouth go dry. Audible gulps could be heard all around as people registered the dark information.

"Even worse," She continued and at her voice everyone stiffened. "There is an even greater chance that correct answers and correct directions could be mingled within all the wrong ones. So you're given a choice, test your luck and see how well it leads you or make sure you learn your _lessons_."

A long pregnant pause followed and Aoi's smile only broadened as a hand somewhere ahead of Jackie rose. Aoi nodded at the person, Jackie looked over some shoulders to recognize the disheveled mop that was Jhybu's hair.

"Do… do people…uh… die in there?" Jhybu asked timidly. The question, although previously asked already by someone else and to a different person, shot icy tendrils of electricity over Jackie's body.

Stiffening, she suddenly felt the surge of Wolfwood's presence right behind her and she clenched her fists. The plaque upon the Hallway of The Never After shoved itself to the very back of her eyes and she dry swallowed in vain to push it away.

"No one dies in this dimension." Aoi announced sharply, as if exasperated by hearing the repeated question. Jhybu's hand was yanked from the air as the boy cowed under the force of the response.

"People are allowed food, water and relief whilst in the hallway." Kim replied, her gentle voice a stark contrast to Aoi's irritation. Jackie frowned as she studied her assigned guide. Aoi's dark eyes were carefully blank as she looked into the crowd, but seemed quite fixed over Jackie's shoulder where she could feel Wolfwood shifting behind her.

"However, it is no happy place. The punishment is ensuring no one breaks the rules again. It is a bit rough but it is effective. Now, we will not take any more questions, so if you have any save them for the end of the tour. We'll enjoy a pretty sweet party after this and…"

Kim's voice trailed off as she began to lead them towards the building yet Jackie remained still.

"You heard Aoi." He spoke in her ear behind her. "No one dies in this dimension." Jackie felt her jaw clench tightly as she felt him move around her and suddenly that same disgusting _feeling_ settled in her stomach. _I am** not** afraid of him._ She thought viciously and she could not help but hate her relief when he pulled away.

Her hand tingled in that moment and not even the twinge of mild satisfaction that she had managed to hurt him once was enough to overwhelm the desire to do it again. Because right before he moved on, she had caught sight of the grin on his face and that made her blood boil.

The walk inside was intimidating. The style of the building was nearly exactly the same as its dark cousin. Tall and in the style of an old Victorian mansion, it felt out of place when considering the show's cultural influences but it felt like it needed to be there. Wide stairs rose to its entrance, and Jackie realized that she must might originally have been mistaken. She didn't remember a staircase or an entrance as grand as this one, yet it was the simple idea that she could've only been exposed to the rear-side of the building that crushed whatever hope was beginning to form.

_Why is this affecting me so much? _She thought irritably. _It's just a building. It was just a stupid plaque, let it go._

The doors were immense yet nowhere near as gargantuan as the doors of the Headmasters Chamber. As they neared three Mingxing lights flickered into sight ahead of them. Red, Blue and Yellow Mingxing light brightened as they got closer and Jackie could see that they were floating by themselves just three feet from the large doors.

Kim looked at the star in her hand with a smile, blew on it and as if blowing a candle the light within the glass orb flickered as if tickled before glowing brighter. She then moved it towards the other lights and positioned it next to the yellow Mingxing. The group of lights flashed brilliantly once before shooting to the ceiling of the vestibule they stood beneath.

The colors intermingled and Jackie watched them fascinated before looking back at Kim's smiling face, the gap in her teeth a bizarre yet still endearing little shadow. "Alright, make sure to stay close! Get ready!"

A loud click resounded behind the guide and the doors pushed open. A cold wind followed by an equally intense heat blew at them from within the building and Jackie grimaced as she saw several lights within the distance. The depth of which the lights were set gave the illusion that the building was bigger on the inside yet she knew it was no illusion.

The group followed the perky Kim with caution, but no one dared pause.

As soon as the last person entered the dark hallway the doors slid silently closed. The tension was high as people walked. No one dared breathe a word. The only sounds were the scuffing sound of shoes striking stone and the ragged breaths of wary students. From the corner of her eyes, Jackie saw Rufio curl around Mae Ling, clearly spooked.

The Mingxing lights, Jackie noted, were all a pale yellow as they walked and seemed to hang suspended in mid air very much like the lights at the entrance. Yet the light didn't seem to touch walls, only the floor ahead of them and despite the feeling of vast space it was suffocating. A hand suddenly grasped Jackie's tightly and she nearly jumped with a start.

"Sorry," someone whispered, and her hand was dropped. Jackie turned to see Elise, face pale in the poor lighting. Jackie shook her head and offered a light smile, extending her hand for Elise to grab.

Elise smiled weakly and allowed her hand to curl around Jackie's. The older girl gave a gentle and reassuring squeeze.

The walk was long and torturous and only seemed to put everyone around her on edge. Elise's hand, once warm and gentle, felt cold and tight in her own and Jackie wasn't sure if it was because of the bizarre temperature or if it was because the girl was struggling to maintain her calm.

The lights around them no longer felt like aids for their darkened journey but felt like links of a constrictive chain around them. A sudden bout of claustrophobia struck Jackie in the gut and it took all her willpower to keep herself from doubling over in hysteria.

"Alright!" the cheery comment was like a shout after those long minutes spent in tight silence and everyone nearly jumped at the abrupt voice.

Kim had turned around with a grin that in normal circumstances would've sparked a contagious mirth but under the darkness and pale lighting seemed manic and disturbing. Even the gap in her teeth felt eerie. Looking behind the guide Jackie spotted another set of double doors, obscured by the darkness and virtually untouched by the Mingxing light. She would've walked straight into it if she had been looking for it, Jackie noted.

"We've passed the relatively nice part," Kim announced and Jackie's jaw dropped in disbelief. _Relatively…?_

"Oh, take a breather," Kim waved carelessly at the group. "We're not going to go through the entire maze, that'd be ridiculously stupid."

A collective sigh passed throughout the group like a wave and Kim only grinned widely again. Jackie wasn't sure if she appreciated the woman's efforts at lightening the mood or wanted to punch her for being so… cheery in a place this depressing.

"We're just going to pass through a separate maze. It's smaller and more user friendly for the tours, and it'll give you a taste of what it's really like in there!"

If Jackie hadn't already been standing inside a building designed to discipline misbehavior she was sure she would've hurt Kim then and there, and judging by the rise in tension Jackie wouldn't put it past the rest of her tour-mates to be feeling the same way.

"Oh don't worry," Kim continued, oblivious to the suddenly murderous and horrorstruck aura that was now pushing from the eyes of those around her. "It's like comparing milk to scotch or whatever hard liquor your enjoy… as long as you're of age. Hm…that wasn't as general as I would've hoped." The guide rambled and Jackie realized Kim was probably just as edgy as her students.

"Kim," Aoi appeared next to her and the other guide heaved a sigh. "I'll take care of the rest." Jackie squeezed Elise's hand one more time, more of an attempt to comfort herself than the younger girl. Aoi turned and, with a carefully blank poker face, eyed them all for a moment.

"This final tour is only fifteen minutes long. When we go in we will make our way to the Admittance Chamber, where the crew will greet you and offer words of warning. Captain Zha Yu is the head of the security guards here and a teacher too. He doesn't teach much, though; prefers to work here and only really teaches action writing, specifically fight scenes. Just...don't make direct eye contact and you should be fine."

Jackie felt her stomach drop. Aoi was not doing a very good job in easing them in this next part. Knowing the guide, Jackie was pretty sure Aoi didn't really care very much at this point if they were comfortable or not. "_That would defeat the purpose of the tour," _Jackie was sure she would say.

"Once we're done with that we will make our way through the… user friendly maze." Aoi paused slightly as she considered Kim's description of that part of the tour with a contemplative nod. "Don't worry," Her voice took a gentler tone, "Once this part is good and over with you can enjoy some time with friends in the final festivities and tomorrow… the real fun begins."

Jackie looked up at the large doors ahead of them with some trepidation. A squeeze on her hand reminded her of Elise and turning to see the girl she felt some relief at her smile.

"You're okay?" Elise asked. Jackie nodded before seeing Mae Ling on Elise's opposite side. The two girls were grasping hands as well.

Forcing a grin that didn't feel quite so bogus, Jackie lifted their joined hands with a good shake. "I've got all I need right now." The two girls replied with bright smiles that would've been brighter anywhere else.

"Not to worry people, we're only going to be in here fifteen minutes! What's the worst that could happen? Eh? Alright, let's get a-going!" Kim exclaimed before turning, the large doors emitting a loud click that boomed in the empty space before inwardly sliding open, a similar blast of cold chill followed by thick heat blew their hair and clothes back and a brilliantly white light blinded them to the inside of their destination.

"Welcome to the Hallway of Endless Sentences!"

Jackie flinched as the bright light flashed once before it dimmed. Spots covered her vision as her eyes attempted to adjust to the sudden change in lighting and she found herself, along with her tour-mates, in a wide room. It looked no different than what Jackie would imagine a posh hotel lobby room to look like with its fine carpeting and exquisite furnishing. However it was wrong, because posh hotel lobbies weren't furnished in such dark and pale colors, they didn't emit a feeling of entrapment. This room did.

Standing just ahead of them was the very same dark and intimidating man who had stood by Jake Wu's side during the final assembly and Jackie felt her stomach give a wriggle of uncertainty as his eyes scanned each and every one of them with such coldness. He was no longer dressed in the warm red robes of the Fire Nation. The armor he wore was dark steel and was clearly no stranger to the battlefield. Jackie glanced at his crossed arms and recognized the gauntlets. Her eyes flicked to Aoi and yes, she and Zha Yu had matching sets. Frowning, Jackie studied Aoi with pursed lips, before turning to face Kim.

"Everyone this is Captain Zha Yu!" Kim introduced cheerily and Jackie almost smiled at the comical irony of such cheery positivity in the face of someone so frightening.

"Captain, if you please," Kim bowed and urged him forward. The tall man took one step forward and it was enough to nearly have everyone take two steps back, his lips curled back to show brilliant white teeth that looked rather more like fangs in the dark room.

"This is the Hallway of Endless Sentences." The man's voice boomed over them and Jackie fought the urge to cringe away from his merciless stare. "I'm sure you've been entertained with the process of getting sent here and that is all well and good…" he trailed off, his lips stretching into a taunting smirk that made Jackie gulp.

"But what they failed to tell you is that this is _my _domain. You get sent here, you will be at _my _mercy and you better hope to God that you don't." He finished with a dark chuckle that sent chills up everyone's spines.

"I've been instructed to give you a taste of how things work here," He crossed his arms behind his back before pacing in front of them, each step hit the carpeted floor with a firm _thud_ and Jackie's eyes flicked to his black combat boots before back to his face, making sure she didn't make direct eye contact.

"And a taste is exactly what you'll get." Zha Yu strode past them towards a set of doors at the other side of the finely furnished lobby. "My job right at this moment is to, in the words of the headmasters, "Ensure that students are made aware of the consequences of misconduct". In other words, If I have to scare the spit out of you to make sure you don't do something stupid," he turned to face them before placing a hand on one of the silver doorknobs, "then I'll make sure to do just that." The door opened to reveal a long and dimly lit hallway that seemed to stretch without end.

"You will go inside a specially designed Hallway that will show you exactly what you will be going up against. Because, however, none of you have actually committed any misdeeds – that we are aware of – the Hallway will be at a low level of security, ergo, it will be shockingly easy for you to get past the maze."

Someone in the back made the mistake of heaving a sigh of relief and Zha Yu's golden eyes flicked towards that part of the group before grinning widely. Jackie felt herself cower under the force of his stare despite the fact it was not aimed at her and yet despite how much she wanted to look away she couldn't.

"Oh, don't get your hopes up," Zha Yu chortled. "Some people who've already gone through this level experienced an inability to hold in their lunch. So don't think this is going to be a parade in the park, because I will personally assure each and every one of you," he fixed them all with a devilish grin.

"_It won't be_."

Silence followed his statement before he moved towards another door that seemingly appeared out of nowhere and disappeared behind it. Aoi walked towards the front of the group and with a nod she looked the group over, "Alright, people. The faster we go through this sooner we get to party. Let's move!"

* * *

The squeak of metal sliding against metal met the ears of the quiet librarian and fetcher as she placed the last file in her care for the day. All the information of their newest students had been archived and making sure to turn off the light of the room of archives, Ranai let out a long sigh. Pressing the bridge of her spectacles farther up her nose and closer to her eyes she gave the room a last glance before shutting the door behind her. The Library was closed and most everyone who worked with her had already left to prepare for the night's festivities. It was, after all, the last party before classes and the day had gone rather well despite the occasional hiccup amongst students and staff.

Looking up she saw some of the books that were suspended in mid-air had ceased moving across the tall ceiling of the annals, no doubt their unknown authors having stopped their writing for the night, whilst other books were still moving about, papers and pages coming together in a flurry of quiet _whoosh_es and whisper thin fluttering. As she watched she saw one of the manuscripts fly off towards the section of covers and smiled as a soft yellow cover floated towards the stack of papers before it flashed a small glow and the book, now attached to its new cover, flew off to be sorted.

It was a spectacular sight and she knew she would never get tired of it. So many papers and covers meeting to signify the completion of a story, it was incredible. Someone, out there in the world, just finished the tale that had plagued them at night. Of course, it was only fan-fiction but it was no less inspiring. Writing was a daunting activity, and only a writer knew its hazards.

The lack of sleep, the constant revising and self criticism, the fear of rejection, and the hope that whoever was given the chance to read that work would not be left disappointed. Even battling words that never really sit in the right place to truly portray the story as the author intended. It was all difficult, and so for someone to see something so simple and seemingly unimportant come together at last after who-knows-how-long… it always put a smile on her face.

Ranai turned and shut the door of the Room of Archives behind her, lifting a hand to bend the metal around it she turned a hand and felt the lock click into place. She wasn't a particularly powerful bender at all, preferring to read and watch instead of getting part of the action. All she could manage was turning some locks and lifting small metallic objects in the air and that was it.

Not many people were allowed the ability to bend metal and despite her ardent desire to bend air when she had first joined the school's staff she became used to her given ability and even enjoyed it on occasion.

Pulling at her sleeves Ranai glanced through the stacks to ensure she was the only one in the library and that no one was attempting to sneak in a late night read. It was routine and Ranai enjoyed it. A sudden buzz in the pocket of her tunic startled her and she quickly pulled a hand through the fabric and grasped at her totem.

Every Fetcher and Guide was given the chance to pick out a totem or a Line. People were allowed to pick things like chess pieces, or pencils and pens. Ranai knew of a friend who worked in the Department of Grammar who had picked out a pair of Chinese meditation spheres as her totem. Aoi's was the most well known as not many people picked something as infantile as a whirligig. In a sense, that was why she was on such good terms with the Guide, because she didn't criticize or laugh at her choice of a totem.

Pulling it out, Ranai made quick work of the twists and turns and in within few moments all the colors of her Rubik's Cube were on the necessary sides. The cube's colored dials lit up, and soon the small puzzle rose in the air over her palm, lighting up in several patterns before all the colors began to glow a dark and ominous red.

Ranai's eyes widened in surprise and she snatched the cube from the air, nimble fingers twisting and turning the sides once more in frenzy as she hurried to relay the message sent to her.

The center tile lit up a bright white and the light from within spread through the cracks of the cube. Words began to appear in front of her through the light from the tile and Ranai lifted the cube so it would access the message without any interference.

"_Emergency Protocol Fifty One: Creation of Troll Detected. Please report to the Central Defense Mainframe. Message 2150."_

If there was moment to run any faster it was then. Ranai's blood chilled as she burst through the doors of the Library and rushed towards the main building, hands lifting to display her badge and her cube – not bothering to entertain the confused looks of whoever moved out of her way.

_It was the beginning of classes! _Ranai thought despairingly as she ran, her feet striking the ground with the grace of someone who had no athletic experience at all. Yet she did not allow herself to stop even though her sides were aching and her legs were already beginning to burn.

_Who would dare create a troll now and why!_

Pushing past several doors she found herself surrounded by Metalbenders and she quickly flashed them her badge. They turned and escorted her past the hallways of classes and towards the hall of the Headmasters.

Portraits of students and staff and other works of art surrounded her on all sides, and any other day Ranai would have loved to just browse to see them all, for it wasn't always often given the chance to walk in the hall of the Headmasters. The sound of metal clanking on metal and footsteps rushing over carpeted floor was the only thing she heard as they moved towards a side door with big red and bold letters announcing, _STAFF ONLY_, along with a scanner for identification.

She quickly flashed her badge over the scanner and then held her cube in front of it. One quick beam of light from the scanner into the object and the door slid open for the group to go inside. Whilst it was silent in the hallway it was complete and organized chaos inside.

The room was designed in the style of an indoor amphitheater with a large screen at its front. Each row of desks was aligned with large computers and wide-ranging technology that spanned most of the space inside. Currently people were running to and fro from desks of information, relaying orders and shouting statistics and numbers that to anyone else would've not made any sense at all.

The large red and bold words, _TROLL DETECTED_ flashed brilliantly on the top of the huge screen as windows of scrolling data blurred words at incredible speeds. At its center a wide and hollow triangle was scanning for signals around a map of a bird's eye view of the campus. Graphs and Charts of erratically changing numbers popped up and out as the computer attempted to hold on to the signal that left everyone running about in a frantic search for more information.

"Someone track down the beast NOW!" Ranai heard shouted on the opposite side of the room where a similar door to the one she had just entered from slid shut with a hiss. People stopped to look up at the exceptionally angry face of Headmistress Baikei.

Her beautiful robes were replaced by a tunic and trousers and metal armor similar to that of the Metalbenders. Her long black hair was lifted into a high ponytail and her bangs were pulled back, exposing her full death glare to the screen ahead of them.

"Headmistress," one of the technicians spoke quickly, Ranai hurried along to near the imposing figure of the very angry and very dangerous Baikei, "We're doing the best we can."

"Let me make this clear to you, Blakeley." Baikei snapped, turning the full force of her wrath on the balding middle-aged man. "If that creature so much as materializes anywhere _near_ a student and that student has to be sent back to their world because we weren't saved by the best you can do, I'll make sure you are out of this dimension and without a memory of this place faster than you can scream 'Troll in the Dungeon!' Do I make myself perfectly clear?"

The technician paled under the glare of the Headmistress' threat before nodding vigorously and turning towards the rest of the people scrambling about, yelled, "You heard her, get a move on!"

Ranai was at a computer in seconds and scrambling to gather information on the troll's materialization point.

"I FOUND IT!" someone cried, and turned waving a frantic arm over their head. He was a dark skinned boy who seemed no older than fifteen. His pinstriped red tunic stretched a bit loose over his body and he quickly tightened the gold and black trimmed sash at his waist to keep it from slipping over his slim body.

"Well, what are you waiting for?" Baikei barked. "Put it on the screen!"

The boy blushed and quickly sputtered, "Uh… I don't know how to do that…"

"Move aside!" Ranai exclaimed before flying towards the boy. He moved aside quickly as she typed rapid commands on the keyboard. The image appeared on the screen in seconds and the hush that fell over everyone was one of relief.

"Thank the spirits!" someone gasped.

"If there was any place for a troll to appear I don't think I would've wished for a better one," the first technician breathed. The boy at Ranai's side slumped against a desk and placed a hand to his forehead.

"Is this information accurate?" Baikei asked, her voice losing its frantic edge yet still remained serious and commanding.

"Yes, ma'am," Ranai replied, turning to face the Earth Headmistress. "The information does point the troll's origins lead it to appear in the Hallway of Endless Sentences."

"Have all the tours completed the final tour?"

"Yes, ma'am," someone else replied and everyone let a sigh of relief. Even Baikei seemed less panicked now and even gave a smile to everyone.

"Excellent work, boy. What's your name?" Baikei asked the boy next to Ranai. His dark skin flushed at the sudden attention and he quickly cleared his throat and straightened up.

"A-Arturo Amador, ma'am," He said with a smile.

"Good work, Arturo." Baikei nodded at him before turning to the rest of them. "I've one more order for you; I want a message sent to Captain Zha Yu about this new addition to his charge. As for everyone else here, I want the people responsible for this situation caught and sent to my offices for questioning immediately whilst I prepare the expulsion papers! I do not want this to happen again!"

There were nods of agreement before everyone turned back to their work. Baikei let out a soft sigh before making her way back towards the exit.

"Headmistress!" A panicked exclamation made her turn. Ranai was standing over a monitor with a look of horror.

"What is it?" Baikei demanded, fists clenching in preparation.

"I just looked at the figures; it appears we haven't received all the accounts of all the tours just yet."

Baikei's face paled at the statement and moved towards the younger girl in a flurry of steps and leaps over large monitors. "Do you mean to tell me not all the tours have completed the final tour?"

Ranai's cheeks were pale under the lighting of the monitors around her. The triangle on the large screen was pulsing red over the building of the Hallway of Endless Sentences, "Just one group, ma'am."

"Which one?" The headmistress insisted and Ranai gulped.

"Yun Kim's group was assigned as the last tour and we received information from the Mingxing that they have entered the Hallway just five minutes ago. She is also accompanied… by your sister, Aoi."

Baikei was deadly silent at the declaration and her green eyes were wide and unfocused now. A long stretch of silence followed and people waited for the Headmistress to speak. Finally after a few long moments Baikei let out a long sigh.

"What is the Level of the Troll?"

"L-level 6, ma'am," someone else replied.

"Are we sure they have not finished the tour yet?" Baikei asked, clenching her fists as she leaned over a blinking monitor. Silence met her query and she took a deep breath.

"Report," she said briskly and one of the technicians moved towards her, holding a translucent pad with several glowing words and charts flashing through its exterior.

"The Hallway of Endless sentence is at its lowest level of security at this moment because of the tour to ensure the protection of the students. This also means the Troll won't be subject to the Hallway's maze." The technician explained, her voice wavering as the Headmistress turned her full gaze on her.

"Right now, those people are trapped in a maze with a Troll and if we increase the security level to contain the troll we risk those people lost within the maze itself."

"What if we just send them all the answers and maps so they can get themselves out?" Someone asked and the technician shook her head.

"A level Six Troll would require a level 2 security standard lock-down within the Hallway to be fully contained before Guards could dispatch it. It needs to be weakened over a period of time. The safest level security standard for any human would be a level 4 and even that is dangerous. We cannot risk a level 2 unless we plan on abandoning those people there for months. The Hallway has been designed so that cheating did not occur within it, so sending in all the answers and right choices is impossible. "

Ranai let out a wavering sigh as beads of sweat ran down her face.

"How much time until the Troll is truly manifested?" Baikei asked and the sound of typing filled the air with tense atmosphere.

"Seven minutes and fifteen seconds," came the reply. Baikei slammed a fist over the wood of a desk and people all around her flinched at the sudden display of anger.

"Seven minutes and counting…" Baikei whispered before turning towards one of the Elite Metal Benders. "Get all the guards and staff down there this instant. I want that tour group out of that place immediately."

"But ma'am, we can't possibly get there in time—," someone tried to interject before Baikei whirled and roared at them all.

"We have no time to waste! I would rather spend these precious seconds sending in all the help we can spare to save those people! We have approximately seven minutes for that beast to appear, but we should pray it will appear at a good distance away from those people just enough to give us extra time for our guards to get there. I will NOT spend these last few moments weeping because of something I couldn't control_. Get those people out of there and **find me the person responsible for this**_!"

A split second of stunned silence followed her shout. She looked at all of them in disbelief before throwing her arms in the air and crying out, "_MOVE!_" and that was all it took for everyone to burst into action.

Ranai's fingers sped over buttons and hot keys so fast they were a blur to her own eyes and while she tried to find some form of trace to the true origin of the Troll she sent a tiny prayer of hope to whatever spirit or god was out there to protect those people long enough for help to arrive.

* * *

They'd been walking through dark and dreary hallways for seven minutes. Every step forward was only achieved because of the promise of eventual escape, food and festivities. At that moment, though, Jackie wanted nothing more than to run off, jump in her mother's arms, curl in her bed with a cup of hot cocoa and watch her favorite episode of Doctor Who. This place reminded her of the episode with the Satan Pit. The walls were high, so high it looked like there was no ceiling and yet it wasn't starlight that greeted her, just pitch black.

Jackie swallowed for the umpteenth time and gave Elise's cold hand another squeeze. It only took a second for the girl to squeeze back and she was slightly comforted by the presence of her friend. The only light they had was the one and dim glow of the Mingxing hovering over Kim's hand. The group turned yet another corner, (_how many has it been since they started? Seven? Thirteen?) _and the silence that stretched over them was worse, if possible, than the silence in the hallway before the lobby.

It wasn't just chilling, it was pressing. As if the swirling depths of black above them were slowly inching towards their heads, threatening to crush them. Someone up front fell to their knees, gasping, and a quick flash in Jackie's peripheral vision was enough to catch her full attention. Looking over several shoulders, Jackie saw Aoi pull out something from the pocket of her tunic before giving it to Jhybu, his shoulders shaking as he hyperventilated.

It wasn't two seconds later that the boy finally relaxed and let out a sigh. Aoi stared intently into his eyes, before whispering something Jackie couldn't quite make out. She guessed it was a question because the boy nodded vehemently and then stood quickly.

The collapse, at this point, hadn't shocked Jackie in the slightest. Three people had already dropped due to the crushing claustrophobia of the location and Aoi had come to the rescue without hesitation. Whatever it was she gave them, Jackie didn't know, but it's proved in its effectiveness. Once Jhybu had stood, Aoi gave the boy a quick smile before turning to the rest of the group.

"We're almost through, guys. Just another few minutes and we should reach the end—"

The sound of an explosion ahead of them shook the walls and ground beneath them. Jackie let out a cry as the force swept her off her feet and straight to her knees. Hot knives of pain shot up her knees, up her spine and through her head and she lost Elise's hand in the commotion.

Hissing in pain as the ground continued to shake; panic crept into her stomach as she tried to make sense of what was happening. In the explosion the light of the Mingxing disappeared, swallowing them all in darkness.

The sound of people letting out cries and yelps of pain and confusion mixed with all the chaos and Jackie searched in the ground for something familiar. In the near distance, Jackie could catch the frightened screeches and gurgles of Rufio and she scrambled to near the scared animal. Something fell from above and struck the side of her head and Jackie groaned as the pain in her head increased; the roar of the shaking around her deafening everything else.

"Mae!" Jackie exclaimed, wincing as the pain in her head throbbed. Jackie nearly tripped over a leg and distinctly felt someone's fingers under her knee but there was so much chaos she didn't have time to apologize. All that mattered was finding Mae Ling and Elise.

"Jackie!" She heard to her left and she began to maneuver around to near the voice.

"Mae! Elise!" Jackie cried over the rumbling roar. Her heart pounded in her ears and her breathing came in ragged huffs as she tried to feel around in the pitch darkness.

"Jackie!" She suddenly heard right in front of her and Jackie stopped. Moving her hands to feel in front of her, Jackie felt bare arms and some tunic. Those same arms moved and hands met clumsily with her own and all Jackie could do was pull herself next to whoever this was and push them close, keeping their head low. Jackie could feel long hair tied to a braid brush against her arm and Jackie recognized Mae Ling's whimpers.

"Just hold on!" Jackie exclaimed, tightening her hold over the panicking girl.

Seconds passed like hours and suddenly the ground quit its merciless shaking. Silence followed the chaos like a shock and the heavy breathing of people around her was all that registered in Jackie's mind as she tried to make sense of what just happened.

Seconds hung above them like string tied to a roof and the sudden flickering of green light to her side nearly made Jackie flinch. Someone coughed.

"Is everyone alright?" Jackie turned to see Aoi holding onto her side with a pained expression, blood smeared down her left temple, her hair a tangled mess.

"_What,_" Brad groaned. Jackie was pleased to see the big guy hadn't suffered anything than a bruised cheek as he lifted himself by her side, "the _hell,_" he paused for breath, "was that?"

"You said this would be safe!" someone else exclaimed before groaning in pain.

"I can assure you this wasn't planned." Aoi replied, somehow managing to look calm despite her injuries.

"Well, then what was that?" Brad exclaimed, sounding more confused than furious. Aoi turned, surveying the damage before looking down at the Mingxing.

"Everyone stay calm, I'm going to send out a message to the Mainframe and I need you all to be quiet. I'm sure this is probably a glitch in the system. There's nothing to worry about."

"Yeah, tell that to my back…" Brad groaned as he righted himself from his sprawled position on the ground. Jackie took time to look around, Mae Ling peeking out from under her to see the chaos. All around them people were sprawled on the ground, the rubble and dust rising and settling from the quake. Somewhere someone coughed and Jackie felt Mae Ling give a shudder before the girl coughed as well.

"You alright?" Jackie asked, moving to get off the fifteen year old. Mae Ling coughed again before nodding, she straightened from her position, Rufio peeked out from beneath her looking ruffled and frightened but nonetheless fine.

"Yeah," Mae Ling choked out before clearing her throat. "Just fine before you decided to crush me."

"Oi, I was keeping you safe from all the falling rocks." Jackie replied with a half-smile, trying to make sense of all the chaos and what she could see in the dim green light. People were beginning to raise from the ground, some with injuries, others without.

There was Jhybu, sporting a black eye and looking extremely frightened. Kim was already standing and was Earthbending a large piece of rubble from off the leg of the girl with the ponytail from the soccer game. Brad was already up, groaning and muttering under his breath and Aoi was busy tapping furiously on what looked like a map card.

But… where was Elise? And upon further search, Wolfwood was also missing.

"Elise?" Jackie called, grunting as she lifted herself to her feet, her knees throbbing in sync with the pain of her head. Breathing deeply Jackie tried to see through the poor light and dust calling her friends name one more time.

"Where is she? Is she here?" Mae Ling gasped, grasping at Jackie's arm with shaky fingers. Jackie glanced at her friend, unable to see her face as the shadows obscured everything but the edges of her figure. Jackie swallowed, trying to shake off the pain of her temple. Rufio was curled around Mae Ling's neck, her butter yellow eyes glowed an off-shade of green from the Mingxing.

"I don't know, I can't see or hear her." Jackie replied after another quick scan of the room.

"Elise!" Mae Ling called, hysteria coloring her voice. Jackie found her hand after a quick fumbling movement and turned to face the girl, moving her so that she could see her eyes clearly.

"Mae, I'm going to go look for Elise." Jackie said quickly. Mae Ling gasped, her hand lifting to rest over her mouth.

"Jackie," Mae Ling whispered, horrified. "Your head…!"

"Never mind me, Mae." Jackie said, grasping the girl's hand with firmness. "I need to find Elise. Stay here and see if you can help Aoi with… whatever it is she's doing."

"But how are you going to find her?" Mae Ling asked. Jackie gave her a humorless smile before letting go and walking off. Rubble and dust crunched under her feet as Jackie tried to keep herself steady. "Jackie, I don't think that's a good idea!"

"I'll be fine, stay with the group!" Jackie threw over her shoulder as she stumbled over a rock the size of her fist. The air was cool against her face. Jackie breathed, more as a way to calm herself. Something was wrong… but then again this whole place was wrong.

But somehow, there was something different. A whole different kind of wrong and Elise could be in the middle of it and Jackie had to help.

Throwing a glance over her shoulder, Jackie found Aoi just a few yards away, spinning at her whirligig and looking frustrated, the green light of Mingxing making her face look pale. Kim was kneeling by that same girl, studying her leg. Brad was busy helping Jhybu up and Mae Ling had made her way to help someone off the ground, dust rising as they shook their hair from the dirt.

Jackie walked slowly, not being able to see the obstacles ahead of her as clearly as she'd like. Nonetheless she pushed forward. Elise hadn't been back with the group and Wolfwood was missing._ There were sixteen people in the group, seventeen including Aoi. All those were back there only counted to fifteen…_ Jackie took in a deep breath as she stumbled, her heart jumped to her throat as her train of thought broke.

Her head was throbbing again and her knees ached as she moved about but that didn't matter. How could someone have moved so far ahead in that kind of chaos?

_Maybe she ran,_ Jackie rationalized. _Maybe she bumped into Wolfwood and they tried to find a safe haven while the quake relaxed._

Her initial distaste for the boy returned with vehemence but she forced herself to trust him. _I rather she's with him than alone._

It was getting darker the further she moved. The pressing black of the hallway seemed to coat her skin with cold sweat and as she stumbled yet again she found her hands were shaking. She growled as she shook her hands and wiped her palms on her tunic. "El…Elise?" Jackie called out.

The light of the Mingxing suddenly brightened behind her, pushing the shadows away a few feet and Jackie suddenly found herself at an intersection. Three different hallways stood at her sides and ahead of her, the light only exposing their entrance for a few seconds before the shadows crept back to their original place.

Jackie pushed herself to the side, her hand extending to feel the cold wall. Preferring to slide her feet on the ground instead of stepping, Jackie maneuvered through rubble and had to be careful as some parts of the ground split to reveal wide cracks that would've become nasty surprise falls had she been less careful.

Jackie felt along the wall, the stone was cool and rough to the touch. Stretching her fingers along she made sure to hop over a particular wide crack only to stumble viciously as the wall broke into the corner and she had to bite her lip from crying out in surprise.

"Elise!" Jackie exclaimed, exhaling when her echo returned to her ears. _Okay, long hallway. _Jackie waited a few seconds until her echoes subsided back into silence and swallowed. Ten seconds. _Very long hallway…_

Jackie waited a little while for a reply. If Elise had gone through here she would have heard her calling. Jackie moved on. A few more steps and she felt a hollow breath of cool air to her left and in the darkness the blacker part of the void appeared like a permanent black splotch. "Okay, next hallway…" she breathed and took a moment to call out to Elise.

Unlike the other hallway her call seemed to slap back to her in a few seconds. _Dead end…_

Something in the idea of a complete stop and the word dead struck a hysterical chord and, chest suddenly heaving, Jackie screamed Elise's name again.

"Jackie!" She heard in the distance just ahead, no doubt in the third hallway, just straight ahead.

"Elise!" Jackie called again, throwing caution to the wind as the relief of hearing her friend safe and sound just a few yards ahead.

"Jackie! Don't!" She heard and as she jumped another crack she heard a sudden crash, as if it were in the distance.

"Run! Run!" Jackie heard another voice, masculine. _Wolfwood?_

"Jackie, Get away! Run!" Jackie pressed herself against the wall, confused. The air began to pick up as if someone opened a window on a windy day.

"Elise, what is it? What's going on?" Jackie called out, suddenly catching the urgency in their voices and the echoing footsteps as they ran. Another crash but this one was so strong it shook the ground and walls around her, Jackie yelped as another rock fell over her.

"Jackie, RUN!" Elise screamed and a bright burst of red light blinded Jackie at the end of that Hallway. Flinching away, Jackie nearly fell over a crack as she lifted a hand to block the harshest part of the light. Two silhouettes were running full speed towards her, jumping over rocks and cracks as they fled but her eyes remained on the source of the light and she could feel something build in her stomach as she tried to register what that was.

A sudden shriek, like metal scraping painfully on metal and glass being scratched with stone like fingernails dragging and breaking over a chalkboard, struck Jackie like a thousand needles and she threw her hands to her ears, doubling over and yet she could not tear her eyes off that _thing_.

It was a creature, at least fifteen feet high. Its flesh was like fire and molten earth burning and smoldering the shadows around them. _Balrog… _Jackie thought, horrified. But it wasn't like the mythical creature from _Lord of The Rings_, as it didn't have twisting horns and an animalistic appearance. Instead of a scowl over its hideous maw was spread a chilling crooked grin, fangs curled and spread over its jaws and its eyes… it had no eyes but deep holes that were so pitch black the darkness around her suddenly felt benign.

It spread its arms and pressed its large claws against the walls, cracks burst from where it touched and its huge feet crashed on the ground. If there were ever a creature to personify fear and nightmare, it was this one.

It looked over the running figures of Elise and Wolfwood as if amused and curious before jerking its attention to Jackie and it let out another bone snapping shriek. Jackie screamed, pressing herself against the wall as she felt its gaze press over her with something akin to bloodlust.

"JACKIE! RUN!" She heard yet she was caught within its evil stare. This was a demon, Jackie knew and there was no fear like facing it.

Hands grabbed at her shoulders that yanked at her from her frozen position and pushed her to run. "Now's not the time to freeze, cadet!" she heard as she was shoved, and Jackie felt newfound energy and adrenaline melt the ice that had frozen her hopeless.

"What the hell is that?" Jackie cried over the crashes. She jumped over a crack and nearly stumbled a large piece of rubble that was _not there_ before.

"Never mind that," Wolfwood shot over his shoulder, Elise running by his side looking just as frightened as Jackie felt. "Run!"

But their run was yanked to a stop as a sudden wall stood right before them, covering their escape. Jackie nearly crashed into the wall, her hands pressing against the rough stone, searching in a panic.

"This can't be! This wasn't here before!" Jackie shouted, pushing at the impossible dead end. "How?" she shouted again. She had just walked through here and there was not wall! "Aoi! Kim!" Jackie screamed, pounding at the rock.

Wolfwood's hand grabbed at her wrist and yanked her to the side, "This way!" he pushed and the three ran to the left down a completely new hallway that hadn't been there before. Bright red light streamed right behind them, evidence that the creature was right behind them. It let out another shriek, and Elise stumbled with a yelp. Wolfwood grabbed her arm and hoisted her back up, never ceasing in their running.

It was nearly impossible, running towards the darkness but the ever present danger of the beast behind them only made them run harder. Jackie panted, feeling her body adjust again to the feeling of running, her backpack slapping against her back and she made a mental note to thank her mother for taking her to the gym with her to run on treadmills and get in shape as a way to keep her busy. Her feet rolled off the ground, legs straightening behind her and giving her enough strength and momentum to push off into long strides that made her faster.

Wolfwood grabbed her wrist again before yanking her to the right and suddenly they were running down a new hallway. They jumped over rocks and cracks and soon the light dimmed behind them and Wolfwood led them down yet another hallway but this one slanted downwards.

"Where are we going?" Jackie asked over rhythmic breaths.

"As far away as we can get from it!" Wolfwood replied shortly before grabbing her hand again and yanking her down another direction. Jackie glanced to Wolfwood's other side and saw Elise throw a glance behind them, her short hair whipping over her face.

"Elise, are you okay?" Jackie asked after they jumped another crack.

"Just… fine!" She called back, heaving a quick laugh as they continued their escape "Will be much better once we get rid of that thing!"

Another shriek and Jackie nearly fell to her knees and if it hadn't been for Wolfwood's grip over her hand she might've met her fate on the ground.

They continued to run for what felt like eternity. Soon fire was burning its way through Jackie's legs and arms, her lungs feeling heavy and tight. The bright red light of the creature dimmed nearly to nothing now and it was becoming more and more impossible to make out their surroundings. After stumbling over a rock and scraping her shin rather nastily, Wolfwood reached into his pocket and pulled out something rectangular and tapped its center, light burst through and after a few moments of rapid tapping the light brightened substantially. He aimed what was in his hand in their direction and Jackie heaved a particular heavy sigh in relief at being able to see where they were going.

Another dark hallway appeared and without a word the trio turned into it, running a few more steps before Elise began to slow down, her breaths coming in heavy and labored.

Wolfwood and Jackie slowed as the girl nearly stopped running but continued to push at a light jog. The two were panting and stopped by her; Wolfwood placed a hand over the young girl's shoulder and nodded. A silent conversation passed in their eyes that baffled Jackie until Elise slumped against a wall, heaving.

"What was that?" Jackie asked.

"We're going to rest for a moment," Wolfwood replied, ignoring her question as he gazed at Elise with concern.

Jackie looked at the two of them with surprise but focused her attention on Elise. "Hey," She said softly, kneeling by the girl as she slid to the ground. Elise gave her a smile as she gasped for breath.

"Boy…" Elise heaved, "Am I…glad to see you. How long has it been… A few hours, maybe more?"

Jackie frowned, "El, it's been a few minutes since I last saw you."

Wolfwood stepped close, rigid. "What do you mean?" Jackie stood to look at him, he was pointing the light towards the ceiling to make it bounce around them and at a glance Jackie recognized its source as a map card.

"I mean, it's only been just a few minutes since the first quake. Why?" Jackie asked tightly, feeling her original wariness of him return as he stared at her intently. He looked away, swearing under his breath.

"Hey, watch your mouth!" Jackie shot in annoyance, hoping Elise didn't catch it. "Anyway, what's going on? What was that thing and why was it chasing you?"

"Jackie," Wolfwood started, looking at her with an unfamiliar look.

"What does Elise mean that you've been here hours? You better start talking, Wolfwood, or I'm going to shove that light up your—" Jackie hissed, feeling the stress of their situation begin to mount in her chest.

"_Jackie_." Wolfwood was suddenly inches from her, his hands grasping on to her face as he made her look at him. The memory of their kiss popped up in her mind unwillingly and she felt a familiar shudder settle in her stomach as he stared at her. She shoved him off her, perturbed and took a step back but said nothing.

"What that thing was…is…" He started before letting out a sigh and running at hand over his face. "Jackie, what you saw back there, _that_ was a Troll."

Jackie felt her stomach drop in realization of Wolfwood's statement. Feeling the blood drain from her face Jackie took another involuntary step back. "You mean…" she whispered, feeling like all the heat in her body had vanished. "Someone… created _that_?"

Wolfwood nodded. Jackie looked away, her eyes straying to a rock just a few feet away, her mind racing a thousand miles a second. "But why was it chasing you?" Jackie whispered.

"It needs to feed," Elise explained and Jackie nearly jumped, almost completely forgetting the girl was there. Under the pale white light, Elise looked older as if she had aged in the past few minutes… no hours… she said they had been separated hours.

"What did you mean it had been hours?" Jackie asked again, more to Elise than Wolfwood. "I only just left the group a few minutes ago in search for you two. What _happened?_"

"I…" Elise began, breathing slower now. "I'm not entirely sure. All I know is that there was chaos. One minute I'm holding your hand the next I feel like the ground beneath me was turned on its side. I remember stumbling through the quake and trying to get myself close to a wall – my mom said during a quake you should get in the fetal position against the nearest wall. Something about buildings falling inward instead of outwards during earthquakes, so that's what I did. – Anyway I must've taken a few feet towards my right when I fell over a crack. I got myself to the nearest wall and just waited there. It must've been seconds because after it all just stopped and it was so quiet. I thought people had died from how silent it was, and it was so _dark_. I tried to get back but just like what happened to us after we found you a wall just appeared in front of me. Out of nowhere, like it had been there all the time." Elise paused, looking away.

"It was an hour until I saw a light. I thought I had died or that I had found you guys so I just ran like crazy towards it, but it only led me to Wolf, here." She looked up and tilted her chin towards the boy standing next to Jackie.

_Wolf? _Jackie wondered at the nickname as she gazed at Elise before turning to face him.

"The same thing happened to me," He explained. "Only, I was able to access the map card here. Elise's didn't work when she found me and we've been using mine. They aren't infinite in energy though, so hers must've died sometime after she got separated."

Jackie reached over her back and grabbed her bag, searching inside for her map card. Upon feeling the sleek plastic she pulled it out. Wolfwood took it from her in a moment, tapping at its center. To their relief it breathed light into their faces.

"Alright, we've got two light sources," Wolfwood explained as he tapped into its surface quickly. "Sadly, even with its defenses as low as they are, this location wipes out the mapping preference in these devices. So finding directions out of here is not an option."

Jackie felt her stomach drop yet again and she looked to Elise. The girl was staring off into space, unusually silent.

"How long have you been here?" Jackie asked Wolfwood. He passed her the cards, Jackie grabbed them, making sure to avoid physically touching him.

"See for yourself." He invited before turning to the young girl and kneeling by her side. Jackie looked at the two cards, to see two blinking time sets on the corners. Jackie's eyes bulged out of her sockets and she almost stopped breathing. "Wolfwood, you've been here for _days_!"

"Can't have," Wolfwood snapped, looking at her with a glare. "I found Elise just minutes after I got separated myself."

Jackie moved towards the two with two long strides and knelt by them both. "Look at your clock and then look at mine. Now look beneath and see the date."

The two did as Jackie said and Elise's breath hitched in shock. Wolfwood's eyes darkened, if the was possible and he snatched his card away. "It must be some kind of glitch." He muttered.

"I'm not so sure about that," Jackie began before he turned on her.

"It has to be a _glitch_!" he shouted, his words bouncing off the walls and ringing in her ears. Jackie flinched backwards and looked away from him. She heard him sigh before he suddenly pulled her into a tight hug.

"I'm sorry," he whispered into her hair and Jackie stiffened, more out of shock. "I shouldn't be yelling at you."

He kept his hold over her body for a few long seconds. Jackie was frozen in his hold, her heart ramming in her chest as that same disgusting _feeling_ of fear filled her and she clenched her eyes shut tight, angry she could not move. He inhaled deeply once before letting her go and she was in a sudden turmoil of feelings. Anger, irritation, relief, confusion, and that icky feeling of fear…yet she could not help but feel somewhat grateful to Wolfwood for keeping Elise safe and that was clashing with everything else, making Jackie dizzy.

"Come on, Eli." Wolfwood said, extending a hand and helping her up. She shook her head and brushed the dirt off her pants. Jackie met her eyes once and suddenly Elise had jumped into her arms.

"Oh god," Elise breathed into her shoulder. "I thought I wouldn't see you again! Good grief, look at your forehead, when did that happen?"

"Shh…" Jackie breathed, stunned as the young girl nearly sobbed in her embrace. "It's okay, I'm here, El."

"Let's go." Wolfwood said after they broke away and Elise brushed at her eyes. They began to walk down the hallway for a few minutes, making turns here and there while Wolfwood tapped rapidly into both cards. Elise's hand had at one point snaked into Jackie's, grip tight and firm as if the girl was determined to not let the events of their separation happen again.

They must've been walking for another ten minutes before an orange light flickered to life around them and the three nearly jumped to a sprint at its abruptness. As they looked around Jackie let out a sigh of relief. The area looked like a small kitchen with three vending machines.

Wolfwood and Elise jumped into action. Elise pulled out what looked like a canteen from within her tunic, and Wolfwood made quick work of the glass of each vending machine. Elise ducked her head under the faucet of the sink and turned it one. The hiss of water met Jackie's ears as Elise opened her mouth to drink greedily at the water that poured over her. After several generous gulps, she pulled away and began to fill the canteen, wiping at her mouth with a wrist.

Wolfwood kicked shards of glass away from the vending machines' now gaping mouths and looked at their goods. Jackie approached Wolfwood with curiosity as she peered into the vending machines when he suddenly turned towards her with a grin.

"You and that green bag of yours," He said, excitedly before yanking the bag off her back. "I could kiss you, Jackie…again." He took a moment to glance up at her to wiggle an eyebrow and Jackie nearly kicked him, gone was the gratitude from before as quickly as a light going out.

"What's that about kissing?" Elise asked as she neared them, offering her canteen to Jackie. It was at that moment that she realized just how parched she was and Jackie accepted gratefully before letting herself have a few generous gulps of water. It was cool and refreshing against her throat, and Jackie had to bite back a happy moan.

"Alright, what've we got?" Elise asked, leaning over Wolfwood as he began stuffing bag after bag of treats in Jackie's bag.

"We've hit the jack-pot here, Eli." Wolfwood said, brushing some glass out of the way from a particular bag of chips.

"Oh, look! Cookies!" Elise nearly jumped over him to retrieve a bag of chocolate chip cookies, "Just what I've been in desperate need of." The two worked together so efficiently and in sync Jackie couldn't help but feel left out. She pushed the feeling away, feeling silly.

"You guys haven't finished explaining," Jackie said after a sip of water. She sloshed the water in the canteen, nervous as her mind pulled up the image of the troll. "Why was that thing chasing you?"

Elise paused after she bit into her treat and swallowed. "Like I said earlier… it needs to feed."

"Feed?" Jackie repeated. "You mean it was going to _eat_ us?"

"Not us… our ideas." Wolfwood replied, as he settled by a vending machine, ripping a bag of chips open. Jackie bit her lip and urged him to continue. After a few bites Wolfwood looked at her before sighing. "That thing... that Troll… it doesn't feed on people. It feeds on your ideas, your imagination. It searches through your mind and conjures up an image so terrifying it will freeze you with fear. Once it gets near enough it'll go through everything else. It'll find every dream you've had, every joke you've ever come up with, every story you've ever wanted to write down and it'll bleed it out of you until every idea, be it original or not, is purged from your mind. Until there is nothing left for your mind…"

Jackie felt her fingers clench around the canteen. "How do you know this?" Jackie breathed.

Wolfwood looked away, suddenly evasive, "I told you, I've been here a while. I've had some time to read things and look them up…"

Jackie let out a frustrated growl, "Oh, not this again! Stop trying to spoon feed me this bull because I am not in the mood for it! I had to deal with your crap outside this place but we're in actual danger! Stop withholding information from me and just tell me the _truth_! How can you know so much about these things? How?"

Wolfwood made no motion to reply, just took another chip and bit into it. Jackie watched him, searching for some kind of reaction and after a few seconds she shoved the canteen back in Elise's arms and marched toward him. Blood boiling, Jackie quickly slid into a horse stance then stomped and slid a wrist from her side to the air, jerking the ground beneath Wolfwood up. In any other moment she would've been so excited to have been able to do so without crushing him to a wall but all that mattered at this point was that she got an answer.

Grabbing his collar, Jackie pushed him to slam into one of the plastic vending machines that stored drinks. The plastic let out a loud and hollow _whomp_ as his body collided against it.

"I'm not playing games, Wolfwood." Jackie hissed, pressing her face as close as she dared. "I'm not just some kid who's going to settle for whatever the grownups tell her. Tell me the truth."

Wolfwood gazed into her eyes with that same infuriating poker face and it further angered her to realize her ire had no effect on him. Wolfwood let out an amused scoff before his eyes flicked over towards where Elise was standing and something in his expression changed enough for Jackie to notice and he sighed.

"Alright, Ortega," He sighed and Jackie's hand slid from his collar and down his chest. Her eyes widened at the toned muscle beneath her palms and she threw her hands off as if she had been burned. She caught his smirk right as she stepped away and felt her cheeks fill with blood.

"Now, spill." Jackie grunted, placing as much space between them that was reasonable and didn't catch Elise's attention. Wolfwood sighed and pushed away from the vending machine as he straightened his tunic but the sound of a familiar shriek off in the distance sent chills up Jackie's spine and the trio snapped their attention to the direction they had come from.

"Oh God, it's catching up." Elise choked.

"That wasn't so close, was it?" Jackie stammered back, her confrontation with Wolfwood forgotten as the Troll's roars and cries reverberated through the hallways.

"It's trying to track us down," Wolfwood's voice came from right behind Jackie, his voice suddenly cold. "Stay quiet and try to keep your mind as empty as you can."

Jackie let out a small gasp as they were suddenly drenched in darkness. Two sets of hands grasped for hers and she met them eagerly, Elise and Wolfwood pushing towards her as if shielding her from the beast ahead.

"Sshhh…" Wolfwood hissed in her ear and she closed her eyes, the darkness behind her lids was no different than the pitch black around them. Jackie struggled to keep her mind quiet and focused on the sound of their breathing and the count of her increasing heartbeat, the pain in her temple increasing as she tried to keep from panicking.

The shrieks rose and fell for a moment before silence followed and all Jackie could hear was the sound of Wolfwood and Elise's breathing. The group didn't move from their position, waiting.

"Elise, grab some of the drinks from the vending machine," Wolfwood said after a long pause. "Use that trick I showed you back in the room with the pillars. We'll need to get as much food and water as we can take."

Elise made a movement that Jackie guessed was a nod before the girl let go of her hand and moved away. Jackie made to grab the girl and bring her back only to enter Wolfwood's embrace. "We're going to have to finish this conversation later, Jackie. You still owe me lunch…"

Another shriek shook the hallways and Jackie could feel it reverberating through the ground beneath her feet. Shying away from the painful screech Jackie curled within Wolfwood's arms and felt him tighten his hold on her. When it was over she shoved away from Wolfwood, sending him a glower through the dark, "We _are_ going to finish this conversation."

Yet another shriek reverberated through the hallways and Jackie felt the chilling feeling curl under her skin as she made a terrifying connection. "It's getting _closer_."

"We've got to go." Wolfwood hissed, grabbing her hand and yanking her in the opposite direction.

"I got what I could. Jackie's bag isn't as infinitely deep as you'd hope." Elise spoke from somewhere nearby and she was soon covered in the pale light of Wolfwood's map card.

"We need to get help," Jackie said as she looked over whatever food they couldn't bring.

"That's obvious," Elise replied stuffing can after can into Jackie's now bulging bag.

"We've been wandering the hallway for a very long time, Jackie." Wolfwood explained, tugging at her hand as they began to jog off.

"That's another thing," Jackie asked as they moved off. "I've only just left the group and you guys have you've been here for days. How can that be possible?"

"This place is designed to keep you moving about for specific periods of times, based on the amount you've been sentenced all the while time continues normally outside. Sometimes people can spend days to months in here whilst only minutes go outside." Wolfwood explained as they jumped over another crack, the path appearing less destroyed as previous hallways.

A dread feeling of déjà vu hit Jackie as she remembered Aoi's explanation of time in this world and the real world and nodded. "Alright so how do we get out of here?"

"Normally, people would wander about until they could hit specific places to test grammar and vocabulary problems. But because classes haven't started yet those options aren't up for grabs right now." Elise answered this time and Jackie looked at the girl with a surprised glance.

"Wolf explained a bunch of this stuff to me already," Elise grinned. Jackie's eyebrows rose, _again with the nickname…?_

"This way," Wolfwood yanked Jackie's hand and the trio made another turn into another hallway.

"But there has to be some way we can get out of here," Jackie persisted. "Maybe if I use my bending to break through the walls…"

"That won't work. It'll only lead you into a deeper part of the maze." Wolfwood threw over his shoulder. "This version of the maze was supposed to be easy to overcome, since it was just for the tours but this… the troll must've messed with the levels when it appeared. I'm just glad it's not a level 6 Troll or we would've been in even bigger trouble."

"Remind me to be grateful that it could've been worse!" Jackie snapped as they continued to run and thought she saw a smile lift his cheeks. She felt the anger in her chest bloom anew and it fueled her strides. They ran for a long time spent in rushed silence as they turned left and right down corridors, and Jackie felt a twinge of annoyance as Wolfwood yanked her without warning down another corridor. Minutes passed as they stopped and waited before running again.

Jackie's head throbbed every more painfully and she felt a strange heightened sensitivity in the area of her temple, her knees and shin throbbing along and hindering her ability to keep up with Wolfwood and Elise before she finally stumbled over a rut and tripped, rolling on the ground to land on her side. The other two paused and turned toward her, rushing in concern.

"Jackie!" Elise yelped, reaching the injured girl with almost a panic.

"Are you alright?" Wolfwood asked, looking her over. Jackie nodded, gritting her teeth as her side ached.

"Fine," She hissed as she stood up, but was stopped by an offered can of some beverage. Elise held it out to her with a worried gaze and Jackie accepted it.

"We have to keep moving," Wolfwood urged. "These hallways are treacherous, you never really know if you're going in circles or actually making progress."

Jackie wheezed as she straightened before shaking herself off, "I'm fine."

And they continued on but at a lighter pace than before as the Troll's shrieks seemed to have faded in the distance. After another few minutes of wandering they paused for a breather and Elise let out a small laugh.

"I think… we may have lost it." She hummed before clearing her throat. Jackie caught on to the flitting strip of hope and rubbed Elise's shoulder with a smile.

"Come on," Wolfwood said. "Let's not linger for too long."

Elise straightened from her lean against the wall and began to walk ahead. Jackie made to follow only to stumble over another rock. Wolfwood's hand shot out from seemingly nowhere and caught her hand, helping to keep her from falling on her face. As soon as Jackie straightened she yanked her hand from Wolfwood's grasp, unable to let herself near him especially in the darkness. A sudden _boom_ shook the ground beneath them viciously, Jackie's heart plummeting to the bottom of her feet in terror.

It had found them. And somehow it had managed to keep its presence hidden from them.

A bright burst of red light blinded them from continuing on and Jackie stumbled back, Wolfwood's grip on her hand disappearing. The Troll's terrifying screech shook Jackie's ribcage and insides, and she struggled to cover her ears from its effect. There it stood just a few feet away, towering over her like death itself and Jackie screamed as it leaned over her, it's hideous grin expanding as it registered her fear.

"JACKIE!" She heard Elise scream from a few feet to her right but the Troll made no motion to look at her, it's pitch black voids for eyes were fixed right on Jackie and the seventeen year old could feel its _mind,_ scraping over her own, searching for something and the pain in her head increased like someone was shoving a knife into the base of her skull.

She let out an agonized scream as the Troll neared her by a few more feet.

A sudden bright white light burst through from behind them and the troll's presence was suddenly ripped from her mind. Jackie slumped to the ground and someone caught her before she fell completely to the ground.

Five figures blurred by shadow and light jumped in front of them, and the Troll let out another shriek and Jackie could suddenly feel emotions that were not her own. Anger, irritation, pain, malice, hatred and the _hunger_ it all overwhelmed her for a moment before she felt herself bathed in blackness but this time is was a warm one and she realized all too slowly that she was fainting.

"Jackie…" She heard by her side and Jackie could do no more than succumb to the safety of her mind.

* * *

_Midori Aoi: aaaaaand that's it for this chapter! Whoo! Boy how'd you like that? 16,000+ words and I nearly shot myself with how much I still wanted to write for this. But enough is **enough**. This is it guys, next chapter we start classes and we'll get a move on further into the plot of this story! Like it so far? Boy I sure hope so. I battled writer's block like crazy this time. WHOO._

_FAVE AND REVIEW! (I do promise, the more reviews I get the better the chances at a faster update. Just saying._

_NEXT TIME: Jackie is thoroughly shaken from her ordeal with the troll and her only reason for staying makes itself manifest through her friends and a surprise visit! Bummed she missed the festivities she prepares herself to face her new professor and tries to find Wolfwood but the mysterious boy has disappeared and Aoi is hardly around to guide her. Will she continue with this endeavor or decide to go home and will she continue to pursue the every present mystery of the Hallway Of The Never After?_


	9. Ch8: Dreams and Nightmares

**A/N: Ah… I know. It's late and you guys have been waiting… well. I assume you've been waiting since I got ZERO reviews for last chapter. Jeez! Now I'm worried it sucked so bad no one wanted to say anything. Anyway – In here we will be enjoying some new characters and a surprise visit Jackie didn't think would ever happen in her wildest dreams. **

**Also, this is a different approach to a Fanfiction Academy. While the OFUATLA is much more direct in teaching I do so with the approach of doing so with a story. This is for those who enjoy this approach more than the direct one. **

**Last note, my thanks to my Beta-Reader, Jillie Rose for helping me with this chapter. Your aid is much appreciated. **

**And now…**

* * *

**The Avatar: TLA Fan-fiction Writer's Academy**

_By Midori Aoi_

**Chapter 8:**

**Dreams and Nightmares**

* * *

The sound of rustling fabric was the first thing Jackie heard as she slipped out of fading dreams and into a moderate headache.

Touch came back next. Instead of rocks and rough stone, she lay on top of soft and warm sheets. _I'm on a bed…_

Her fingers stretched and clenched at the thick cotton blanket over her and she could feel a wide square of radiating warmth over her legs. _It's day… that's daylight. Warm…_

She breathed in deeply, the smell of laundry detergent and daisies whirled in her nose. Her blanket was fresh. _Safe…_

The sudden image of flesh like molten earth and fire slammed over her mind for a moment and Jackie's stomach twisted with sudden hysteria. Her eyes snapped open, finding a soft grey ceiling and bright yellow fluorescent (very modern) lights and an open window that flooded the room with warm sunlight. Swiftly pushing herself up, Jackie cast around urgently..

"Elise!" A startled Asian girl in Air Nomad clothing who had been coming through the door dropped the sheets she was carrying. Jackie stared, noting absently the purple streak in the jet-black hair.

"Where's Elise? Where's my friend?" But the world was spinning again, and she was falling...

The girl rushed to her side and pulled her upright. Woozy and thoroughly disoriented, Jackie swallowed deep gulps of air.

A cup of water was pushed into her hands, and Jackie swallowed gratefully, willing the world to stop swirling.

"You're in the infirmary." The girl said after a long moment of silence between them. Jackie's breaths came at a slower pace as she allowed herself to relax, the water had been sweet and refreshing and had helped her calm down. "Your friends are alright."

Jackie looked at her fully. She was pretty, athletic, and looked...rather how Jackie imagined Mulan would look like in real life. She was dressed in the very same style of clothes Aang wore in the first season and she carried an air of calm and serenity about her.

The girl gave her a warm smile. "I was told you would stare."

Jackie tore her gaze away, more irritated than humiliated and let out a grudging sigh.

"Sorry," Jackie apologized, looking down at her cup of water. It was a pale yellow ceramic mug with gentle curving orange swirls and Jackie let her eyes follow the design so she could avoid the girl's face as she giggled.

"There's nothing wrong with being attentive, it's a sign you pay close attention to detail. That will help out quite a lot during your time here."

Jackie allowed herself to look back at her with a sheepish half-smile before introducing herself, "I'm Jackie."

"I know," the girl grinned, "I've been your nurse since you came in last night. I'm Andrea, but please just call me Andi."

Not quite sure whether to offer a handshake or a bow, Jackie settled for nodding at her instead. Taking in another sip of the water, Jackie cleared her throat before allowing herself to look around. She was in a fairly large room that seemed a bit too homey for a clinical room. Her sheets were pale yellow and trimmed with orange, the headboard of her bed a bright Birchwood. The floor was lined in white tile, several rugs colored the area with the theme of the Air Nomads. The walls were a soft cream and pale sherbet orange and just several feet away from the bed was a low Birchwood table surrounded by orange throw pillows and cushions, a lovely jade tea set was placed immaculately over its center.

Jackie looked over and spotted a table with the pitcher of water and by its side was the door. Unlike the doors of the E.K dorms, this one was circular and wide and Jackie was thrilled to see the swirling symbol of the Air Nomads carved into the pale wood.

"It's a pretty nice room," Andi commented, clearly following her train of thought. Jackie smiled back before looking to the other side and looked out the window. They were on the first floor, and by the look of it, it was mid-morning.

"How long have I been here?" Jackie asked, absentmindedly as she studied the tall oak tree just a few meters away.

"Since last night," came the response and then silence. Jackie sighed and looked back at the girl; she had taken to sitting down on a chair Jackie hadn't noticed before.

"Andi…" Jackie paused before biting her lip, unsure how to explain how she felt. "What… what happened?"

The Airbender's brows furrowed gently before she gave a small sigh as well. "To be honest, I'm not quite sure myself. All I was told is that you needed immediate attention after leaving the Hallway of Endless Sentences. I have to say, I was concerned and rather baffled. We receive people who get sick all the time, especially after that particular tour. When you were brought in though, you seemed to have suffered a severe mental breakdown. Do you not… remember anything?" She tilted her head, adding the question with a bit of hesitation.

Jackie tightened her lips in a grim line before looking back down at the cup in her hands. It was quite cool and smooth in her hands and a quick clench of her eyes and she could remember rough stone and cold, muggy air and running…

"No," Jackie lied. "I don't remember anything…"

Andi gave her a sympathetic look before nodding silently, "I guess that's to be expected. I'll go get your guide. She should be here right about now."

Jackie perked at the mention of the girl with the whirligig and glanced at the circular door, "You mean Aoi?"

Andi nodded and reached over to give Jackie's arm a reassuring squeeze, "I'll be fairly quick. So, just sit tight. If you need anything just reach over the side of your bed and press the 'call' button and someone will get to you swiftly."

Jackie nodded numbly as she watched her turn and walk out. As expected the girl's footsteps were light and nearly soundless, when she reached the door she shot a stream of air from her hands into the Air Nomad insignia and the door slid open with a hollow _whoosh. _Jackie watched fascinated as she slid past the door and the door slid close.

She didn't have to wait long at all, because within minutes she could hear rushed footfalls outside her door and a familiar _whoosh_ and the door slid open. Kim pushed through, her bare feet slapping over the tile and her wide brown eyes landing on Jackie with a mixture of relief and alarm.

"Jackie!" Kim exclaimed. She snatched Jackie's hands into her own and Jackie nearly jumped when the (thankfully empty) mug tilted and fell into her lap. The short, black haired woman was looking her face over with quick eyes and upon looking over Jackie's clothes, Kim's nose wrinkled. Jackie took that moment to realize she wasn't dressed in the Earth Kingdom clothes she had worn the day before, instead wearing a pale yellow yukata with an orange sash.

"You look positively like an Air Nomad," Kim said after a quick assessment over her appearance before blinding her with a grin. "How do you feel?"

Jackie smiled at the worried Guide and shook her head. "I'm fine, Kim."

"That's great to hear." Jackie looked up to see Aoi standing by the closing door. The whirligig was, as per usual, in its place behind her ear, the stem resting among long and very black locks of hair. Jackie noted she liked this darker hair tone on the Guide. _Auburn is much too happy for her personality, _Jackie thought whilst trying to hide a snide smirk.

"What happened?"

"That's what I'd like to ask you. You caused an unnecessary scare, Ortega." the Guide said, her voice betraying a rising irritation.

Jackie bit her lip, staying silent.

"Mae Ling told us you had left the group to go search for another student, correct?"

_Whoa, is this an interrogation now?_

"Elise," Jackie bit out. "I went to go search for Elise."

"That wasn't your responsibility," Aoi replied tersely and Jackie bristled.

"Oh, so whose responsibility was it? Yours?" Jackie snapped. "Because you definitely proved how useful you were when it really counted. If I hadn't gone to find Elise she could've been in even graver danger than she was when I found her. I'm just glad Wolfwood was there to keep her safe until I did."

Aoi's eyes narrowed and it was as if the temperature in the room had plummeted and as if to exaggerate the atmosphere the sunlight had dimmed. It was a cloud, Jackie had no doubt, but the effect was to make Aoi's icy stare all the more intimidating.

"Watch yourself, _Jacqueline._" Aoi said slowly, her voice coming out low and nearly inaudible but it hit Jackie with the power of a scream. Kim took a step between them, breaking the powerful hold of Aoi's glower from Jackie and despite how it made Jackie's insides squirm she refused to show it in her face, choosing to maintain a look of defiance.

"Aoi's right," Kim said, frowning at the bed-ridden girl with disapproval. "You shouldn't have left the group, Jackie. Despite your good intentions you did cause more harm than good. By taking off on your own without knowing the full depth of the situation you caused us with responsibility over you more stress and thus more trouble. What you should have done is inform me or Aoi of Elise's and Wolfwood's disappearance and we would've handled it accordingly. We have been trained to deal with these sorts of situations and despite the fact you're a natural bender, you are by no means qualified to run off on that kind of mission."

Jackie looked away, feeling somewhat abashed by Kim's admonition. "Furthermore," Kim continued, "You placed yourself in quite severe danger. You're lucky the CDM sent enough back-up to contain the situation as quickly as it did."

"CDM?" Jackie asked, curious.

"The Central Defense Mainframe," Kim replied and Jackie opened her mouth to ask what that was exactly before Aoi stepped around Kim to face her more directly.

"More than anything," the Guide interjected, her voice returning back to its complacent tone, "You were lucky it had been a level 6 Troll. Had it been any stronger you would've been sent back home in a split moment. Now," Aoi crossed her arms, "begin explaining everything that happened."

Jackie swallowed an annoyed grunt at Aoi's demand but obeyed nevertheless, choosing to start after the quake. The two women were attentive to Jackie's account, watching intently as she explained how she searched for Elise and frowning when she had encountered the issue of the wall appearing out of nowhere when Jackie, Elise and Wolfwood were fleeing from the Troll.

Choosing to filter some parts, like when Jackie demanded more information from Wolfwood or when he had hugged her as if she had died, Jackie explained as much as she could with as much detail as she could give. When she finished they stood in silence, taking in all her information with guarded expressions.

A bit put off by their silence, Jackie felt her hands fidget with the blanket over her. "Are you guys going to tell me your side of the story or not?" Jackie asked finally, biting her lip.

Aoi's eyes flashed toward her in annoyance but Kim merely nodded. After an exchange of looks between the two girls, (Aoi looking more against the idea than anything, but she relented with a nod after a raise of the eyebrows from Kim) the tan Guide looked at Jackie with a small smile.

"Not long after you left I did a headcount. You're lucky you weren't there to see Aoi's expression when we found out you were gone. _Well,_ technically you wouldn't have been able to see that particular expression had it not been for your decision to deviate from the group anyway," Kim said tilting her head to the side as she considered her statement. Jackie couldn't help but think of the Tenth Doctor, and tried not to smile.

"Anyway, at that point we had managed to get in contact with the Central Defense Mainframe, thanks to Aoi's quick thinking with the Map Card and her totem – er, whirligig, and we received the information of the apparition of a Troll. At that point we were instructed to keep watch over the group until help arrived. It must have been another ten minutes at that point until Captain Zha Yu and half an army of Metalbenders plowed right through and managed to round up the group. After that we had to try to find a way to configure the defense systems so we could find you and help you escape whilst keeping the Troll locked inside. All I can tell you is that it was _not_ easy by any means." Kim sighed dramatically, and wiped imaginary sweat from her forehead.

"You're exceedingly lucky we arrived when we did," Aoi said after a short pause, looking away with a scowl. "Had we been seconds later, you would have been thrown to your world and ended up with a smoothie for a brain." Jackie swallowed.

"Taking care of that Troll was no easy business," Kim added, leaning towards Jackie with an intense stare. "For one we had to make sure it's mind had completely released yours. You owe your life to Aoi, Jackie," she added with a more solemn glance to the other guide who stood by silently as if uncaring. "I don't think I've seen her fight a Troll quite so fiercely in my life."

"Wait, you _fought_ that thing?" Jackie sputtered, looking at Aoi with both shock and awe.

"How?" Jackie pressed. Maybe she would actually tell her anything on how that situation went down. Aoi's expression was flat.

"Kim." Kim stopped talking. Jackie found herself unable to look away from the girl with the whirligig. _What else is she capable of?_

"Anyway," Kim coughed after another moment of awkward silence and Aoi shifted her weight. "We were able to take care of the Troll. When we had finished, Wolfwood had been holding on to you, scowling at anyone who tried to move you."

Jackie bit the inside of her cheek at the news, torn at the mention of Wolfwood. What was the deal with that boy? One minute he's threatening her and ramming a kiss on her mouth, the next he's protecting her? _There's no way he's doing this out of his own agenda (EH? He HAS his own agenda, or he's working on someone else's? The sentence isn't clear), _she thought with irritation, too frustrated to allow herself even a spark of gratitude towards the cryptic youth. _I need to figure out his game._

"Once everything was taken care of," Kim continued, "We brought you here to ensure your mind suffered no ill-effect from that encounter."

"And Elise…?" Jackie pressed.

"Elise is right…" Aoi began before trailing off, the sound of several footsteps pounding the ground right outside the door overwhelmed her statement and the familiar _whoosh_ pushed the door to slide over as the object of their conversation burst through the door. "Here," Aoi finished just as Elise caught sight of Jackie on the bed.

"Jackie!" Elise exclaimed, obviously relieved at seeing her friend awake. Jackie felt a relieved grin spread over her face as she took in Elise's appearance but her smile dropped upon seeing the girl's left hand wrapped from wrist to elbow in a white cast.

"Elise!" Jackie gasped, pushing the blankets off her legs before pulling herself up and only had a short moment to brace against the bed as the younger girl barreled into her arms. Mae Ling burst into the room behind her and ran to join the hugging girls. Relief melted over Jackie's features as the young girls tightened their embrace.

"What happened to your arm?" Jackie wheezed after a particularly tight squeeze from Elise.

"What happened to my arm?" Elise echoed, pulling away with a look of complete surprise and outrage. "Are you _nuts_? You nearly had your brain turned to soup and you worry about my arm?"

"El," Mae Ling hushed, pulling her away. "Sorry, Jackie, Elise hardly slept last night."

"How could I?" Elise breathed, exasperated. "It's not the kind of experience you deal with then have a happy nap after."

Jackie almost laughed but forced herself to study Elise firmly. Sure enough, upon closer inspection, Jackie noticed bags under the girl's eyes and her fidgety air.

"Elise…" Jackie said calmly, "What happened to your arm?"

The young girl gave her a weak smile at her question before sighing. "It was right after you passed out, when they were fighting the Troll. I kind of… tried to tackle it…?"

Jackie's eyes bulged nearly out of her sockets. "WHAT?"

Elise winced and when Jackie looked around she could see Aoi looking at the girl with similar disapproval, yet there was a hint of a smile playing at her lips. "You tried to _tackle_…!" Jackie trailed off, running a hand over her face as she sunk back into the bed.

"She was lucky she managed to scrape by with an injured arm." The voice was by no means a welcome sound.

Jackie snapped her gaze to the boy leaning by the circular door and tried to resist the urge to snarl. There he was, dressed in a dark green tunic and long sleeved black undershirt, looking as if nothing had happened since their stand off by the trees.

"You were supposed to keep her safe," Jackie hissed.

"You're welcome for keeping _you_ safe." Wolfwood rolled his eyes, flipping his black bangs out of his eyes.

"I didn't ask you for help, Wolfwood." She snapped, rising to her feet. "She needed you to keep her out of harm's way and you just let her try to tackle a beast that could've killed her!"

"In his defense," Elise interjected, "I did kind of completely ignore Kim's commands of staying put and rushed over to help."

"It's true, though...reckless as it was, in a sense, Elise did help out."

Both Aoi and Jackie glared at Kim.

"Uh – I mean, uh, she shouldn't have gotten involved." Elise blushed at the comment but made no objection.

"But we do owe her some thanks," Kim continued despite Aoi's irritated stare. "Aoi had been thrown against the wall after the Troll lashed out and our other backup had become subject to the Troll's mind power - if it hadn't been for Elise, it wouldn't have gotten distracted enough for the rest of us to take over."

"Even so," Jackie growled through her teeth, "Elise was in danger and you just decided you couldn't keep your hands off me."

Wolfwood's stare hardened. "I was making sure your mind was safe, Jackie."

"He's not lying, Jackie." Elise said, looking back at Jackie with a light and confused frown. "Right when everyone showed up you started to shake and tremble because of the Troll's power over you. Wolfwood worked really hard to keep your brain from turning to scrambled egg. Why are you so against him?"

Jackie looked back at Elise with surprise before realizing she hadn't been there when Wolfwood had pushed himself on her, yet she couldn't help but feel some kind of betrayal that her friend was protecting her enemy.

"He's a complete scumbag, Elise!" Jackie exclaimed in disbelief, certain that she would at least believe her even if Jackie decided to keep that little encounter to herself.

"He cannot be trusted," she turned back to fix Wolfwood with another bone-chilling glower, "And I don't care if he helped me. He put you in danger and I cannot forgive that." _Not to mention the other things, _Jackie thought nastily, but kept that to herself.

"Uh, hello," Elise stepped forward, frustrated. "He kept me safe! If it wasn't for him I would've been lost in the Hallway without light or food and he even made sure to keep you safe! What is your deal?"

"I admit he did a small part in keeping you safe," Jackie said, shaking her head, "But he should've taken better care of you instead of letting you run head first into a creature that could've killed you!"

"I was just fine! If anyone needed the help it was you!" Elise exclaimed, "You were nearly completely possessed and he made sure you made it out alive. If anything you owe him a thank you."

"I should _thank_ him? You don't even know what he's done!"

"I know he kept us alive! If it wasn't for Wolfwood we would've both been completely overrun by the Troll. You're acting like a little child!" Elise argued, stepping between them, and that hurt more than Jackie could've been prepared for.

"How can you take his side?" Jackie gasped, Elise's comment feeling like a slap to the face. "Can't you see what he's been doing? He's nothing but trouble, El, and completely drowning in secrets! He can't be trusted! You have to believe me!"

"Ugh!" Elise snarled, before turning on her heel. "Fine, if you want to continue to act like this then do it. I don't want to deal with this anymore. I'm going to class now, I'll see you around," and with that Jackie watched as Elise stormed out of the room, brushing past Wolfwood with a small apologetic glance at him.

"Elise," Mae Ling called, following the girl with a surprised frown, throwing Jackie a torn glance before running around Wolfwood to catch up with the angry freedom fighter.

"Elise!" Jackie exclaimed, struggling to keep the hurt from her voice as the two girls disappeared from the room in a flurry of rushed footsteps. Turning on Wolfwood, Jackie took a step forward, furious.

"Look what you did," She growled acidly before attempting to push past him to run after her friend but no sooner did she take a few steps did Jackie feel the floor sway under her and she was suddenly tilting dangerously far to the side. She let out a choked gasp as she fell and was immediately caught by two powerful hands and pressed against a familiar chest that made Jackie's stomach writhe with disgust and loathing.

"Don't… touch me!" Jackie attempted to shrug Wolfwood off her before Aoi stepped in and helped her up.

"You need to rest, Jackie." Kim's voice was in her ear and Jackie was led back to her bed, tears stinging at her eyes.

"Get him out of my room." Jackie said quietly, body trembling with fury and emotional turmoil.

"With pleasure," Aoi replied and Jackie could hear several more sets of steps before another _whoosh_ met her ears and the door was closed, leaving Jackie alone in her room to weep bitterly into her pillow.

* * *

It was late afternoon by the time Jackie came to. The sunlight that had once warmed her bed had heated the room to almost an unbearable degree and she found herself sweating in her yellow and orange clothes.

Groggy and surprisingly sore, Jackie lifted herself up from the bed to glance around the room for any sign of life.

She was alone.

Heaving a shuddering sigh, Jackie rubbed the grit from her eyes and forced herself off the bed. The cool tile was a welcome feeling on her bare feet and she walked around the bed to open a window. In a moment she caught her reflection on the glass and she grimaced. Her hair was a _disaster_.

She knew there was a mirror just several feet behind her but she was in no mood to feel any worse than she already did.

Outside, people dressed in Air Nomad clothes walked here and there, mingling with the occasional Earth Kingdom student. The shockingly large oak tree's branches swayed gently with a breeze. Jackie watched the movement longingly.

Lifting a hand, wincing as her skin felt too tight over her fingers, Jackie made to locate some kind of flip, or a switch, any kind of locking mechanism to let in the air. Running her fingers around the glass and window pane, Jackie let out a grunt of annoyance upon seeing nothing that could help her and tried to push at the glass.

When pressing her shoulder against the glass did nothing but earn her a bruise, Jackie bit her lip and pulled away. As she glanced at the reflection on the glass she saw another face just a little ways behind her. Jackie screamed and whirled around.

"Sorry, sorry!" Her visitor exclaimed, and Jackie felt the blood rush to her face as her jaw went slack.

There, sitting cross-legged just three feet away was the young Air Nomadic Avatar that had captured her imagination since she had graduated middle school. He was grinning at her, rubbing at the back of his bald head, sheepishly.

"I didn't mean to startle you," He said letting his hand slide behind his head and resting at his shoulder.

Jackie couldn't move, staring wide-eyed at the twelve year old fictional character with something akin to a dreamlike trance. He was dressed in the same clothes he had donned in the third season; orange wrap tied over one shoulder, trousers and boots. It was so surreal, and Jackie couldn't believe it.

_This is a dream… I'm dreaming_. Jackie thought and would later pat herself in the back for being able to carry on a coherent thought in front of this clearly impossible person.

He looked to sport a _real_ body of flesh and blood and he had _talked_ to her just now. He had _talked to her…_

"Oh!" Jackie snapped out of her scattered train of thoughts and pulled herself into an awkward movement of stretching out a hand to shake then twisting to an attempted formal bow to a horrid attempt to a casual lean on the wall.

"I…uh…um…" She stammered, realizing her cheeks were flushing scarlet as she tried to make sense of what was happening.

"Take your time," He said with a wide smile.

"Oh…my…_good giddy aunt,_" Jackie breathed before shaking her head vehemently. When that didn't seem to snap her out completely Jackie lifted a hand and properly slapped herself in front of the young Avatar.

He only flinched at her conduct but did not appear surprised – no doubt having seen such things done when he introduced himself.

"You're _Aang_!" Jackie finally exclaimed.

"Yep, that's me! I'm the Avatar." He waved, beaming.

"Oh…" She drifted, staring at him yet again and he cocked his head to the side. Jackie nearly jumped and placed a hand to her chest, more as a way to calm herself than to motion to her own up-coming introduction. "I'm Jackie. Jackie Ortega."

"Nice to meet you, Jackie," Aang said, his smile spreading widely. "I'm sorry I scared you."

"Well," Jackie tried to chuckle but it only came out as a nearly hysterical giggle. "It wasn't… as if…I wasn't… I didn't expect to have you… you know…"

"Pay a visit?" He finished for her and Jackie nodded dumbly. He laughed then, "Well, I don't normally pay visits. I'm usually pretty busy. Plus, I have to steer clear from the fan girls, but I've got it on good authority you're not the rabid kind."

"Oh, I'm not. Definitely not… I mean, I _am_ a fan. Huge fan, really…" Jackie tried to remember to breathe, and wished she could sit down. But the chairs were on the other side of her bed and she didn't want to invade any personal space – for all she knew if she stood too close she'd get zapped home.

"I got news about you facing a Troll." He said, his voice taking a more sympathetic tone. "I'm sorry for that."

"Ah well, I'm alright," Jackie shrugged, scratching an arm, "Everything's all… you know…" The memories of the previous night and her and Elise's fight sobered her to nearly a depressing point and she finished with a lame, "…peachy."

"It's not the kind of thing most people bounce back from easily," He said, leaning forward. "So, I felt it was my duty, not just as the Avatar but as a friend, to come make sure you were doing alright."

"You think… I'm a… friend?" Jackie squeaked, her cheeks burning and her head felt incredibly light.

Aang nodded brightly, "Of course! Everyone that comes to this school is a friend. We're all students and that is enough to bring forth a good sense of camaraderie! That is," He faltered a bit, eyeing her uncomfortably, "Unless you've got… other ideas…"

"No, no!" Jackie exploded before plastering a hand to her mouth. "Uh… I…I'd love to be your friend, Avatar Aang."

"You can just call me Aang." He smiled again and got off the bed with a quick display of Airbending. Jackie felt the breeze tickle her hair around her cheeks and she stared, dumbfounded, as he gave her a quick bow.

"I'll just leave you to rest up a bit more," He said. "But first…" then he lifted a hand and with a quick twist of his wrist he bent a little whirlwind toward the window Jackie had been struggling to open. Once the concentrated blast of wind struck, Jackie heard several clicks on the windowpane before the window slid outwards and upwards to let in more air.

Jackie watched, fascinated, as the window locked itself into position and a cool breeze surrounded her. She turned to thank the young Avatar, Jackie but the young man had disappeared and the door was already sliding closed.

"Thanks…"

It was at that moment she glanced at the vanity just by the door and let out a horrified wail at the sight of her reflection.

* * *

"And he disappeared, just like that?" Maki gushed as she lay belly down on Jackie's bed.

"I didn't have a chance to say thanks," Jackie glanced at the blonde behind her through the mirror, and tugged on a knot with her hairbrush. She still hadn't been allowed to leave the infirmary as she still suffered from sudden bouts of dizziness and powerful headaches.

Her roommate Maki had arrived not fifteen minutes after Andi had left with Jackie's verdict and sat by as Jackie explained what had happened from the moment they took off into the final tour to Aang's surprise visit. Of course, Jackie left out certain bits in the story.

"Well, they're like that, you know." Maki sighed, reaching down to nab a rice cake from a plate Jackie had received for dinner, "the main characters."

"They pop in on random students to see how they're doing?" Jackie supplied after catching yet another terrible tangle from her long hair.

"More or less," Maki giggled. Jackie sighed as she stared at her reflection in the mirror. Maki had brought with her a bag with brushes, some snacks and some other hair accessories – some more ridiculous than others – and Jackie nearly hugged her out of sheer appreciation. Sure enough she had tackled the nightmare that was her mane and transformed the gruesome spider web into something presentable.

After a shower, Jackie had been given a new set of clothes that still matched the theme of the Air nomads.

"You'd think they want me to transfer or something," Jackie had joked upon seeing her new clothes. Maki had only grinned.

"How much longer do I have to stay here?" Jackie asked, turning to face her roommate. Maki's baby blues blinked at her blankly before she glanced up thoughtfully.

"I'm no expert," Maki began before rolling on her back, licking the sweetness of the cake off her fingers, "but I'm sure it won't be long. No doubt they're still investigating the situation, and considering you were directly attacked they probably want to keep you somewhere as far from the Hallway as possible for now."

Jackie pursed her lips in thought. She didn't really pay much attention to the map of the campus she had been given, focusing most of her attention on the sights around her than directions. Maki's statement made sense and from that Jackie quickly assessed that the Air dorms were probably on the other side of the campus to the Hallway.

The memories of the dark place came unbidden and unwanted. Jackie closed her eyes calmly to try to keep from heaving. Her head felt too light and she clenched her fists as she inhaled deeply.

"Are you alright?" Maki asked.

Jackie exhaled before turning to give Maki a bright, albeit forced, smile. "Yeah, I'm fine."

* * *

"I'm not ready." Jackie said her voice low and empty. Kim and Aoi stood over her as Jackie looked away from them, focusing her gaze on the oak tree and the fire flies that floated around it as darkness fell over the sky.

"We need you to give a statement, Jackie." Kim urged gently. "You were the only one that had been attacked by the Troll, and so you're our only witness in this investigation."

Jackie remained silent, fidgeting uneasily under her covers. No sooner did Maki leave her did Jackie nearly collapse from the weight of a sudden migraine. Had Andi not shown up and helped her to the bed before calling for some help, Jackie would've passed out on the floor. Her head felt hollow and her stomach felt swollen and she blamed that on the pills they administered to kill her migraine.

It hadn't been thirty minutes until Aoi and Kim arrived and asked if she was strong enough to go with them to see Headmistress Baikei so she could review what had happened.

"Jackie," Aoi spoke, voice soft. "Would you be alright with allowing a waterbender to help you with those memories?"

Jackie frowned and looked at the black-haired guide, quizzically. Kim flashed her a grin. "Remember in the episode of Lake Laogai when Katara helped Jet with regaining his memories of the Dai Li?"

Jackie nodded, "Yeah, but I already remember everything. What good will that do?"

"What you remember is only a small fraction of what truly happened," Aoi explained. "What you can recall is only what your consciousness can pull out from experience and that isn't enough. Your subconscious, on the other hand, stores far more information than your consciousness can register and that is where we can find the information we're looking for."

Jackie looked down at the palms of her hands. "…Will it," Jackie began before hesitating with a grimace, her heart clenching. "Will it hurt?"

"No," Kim said kindly, "If anything it'll feel really nice."

Memories of the Troll flashed through her mind, its effect on her mind causing nearly another painful throb to take hold over her head and Jackie struggled to keep her breath even. Someone had created that Troll… someone's idea of a joke was to create a beast so terrifying it could've _killed_ her and that much angered her.

"When would we be doing this?" Jackie asked, clenching her eyelids to ward off the oncoming headache.

"The sooner we can get everything prepared is for noon the day after tomorrow." Aoi answered. Jackie nodded silently, and sighed.

_None of this mess would've happened if it wasn't for that stupid Troll. _Jackie thought viciously. _Elise would still be my friend and Wolfwood wouldn't have manipulated her like he did. Whoever made this happen is to blame…_

Jackie clenched her jaw tightly before looking back at the expectant women and with a stout nod, Jackie said, "I'll do it."

"Good," Aoi affirmed and Kim smiled at her. "Now get some rest, tomorrow you should be good to get really started here." Jackie didn't bother asking what she meant, and as the girls exited her room, Jackie let herself plop backwards on her pillow and stare at the swirling shadows on the ceiling until her eyes slid shut and she drifted into a dreamless sleep.

* * *

Papers were rustling, brushing against each other and sliding over a smooth surface and Jackie stirred from her sleep at the sound. Among some of Jackie's favorite noises, like the purring of cats and car engines, or the sound of water sloshing against the inside of a clay pot, the sound of rustling papers was possibly one of the only sounds that reminded her of her dad.

Being little and her father being a lieutenant general in the marines, whenever he would come home to stay with Jackie and her mother he usually stayed up late nights working on last minute paperwork about who knows what. Jackie would go to his study and curl on the leather couch and just listen to him scratch pen tips to the surface of papers and close her eyes as he stacked them together, straightened them and then let them fall on the side of his desk. Those minutes of silence held the most precious moments Jackie ever had with her father and the memory was so vivid it momentarily flooded her closed eyes with tears.

In the warm room, her tears burned trails down her temples and curved through her ears and she focused on the peculiarity of the feeling to keep her from succumbing to such profound homesickness. A few minutes passed and when Jackie was certain there would be no more tears did she realize that papers don't rustle by themselves and there had been no paper anywhere yesterday.

Cracking a moist eye open, Jackie shifting on her back to look around and sitting by the table was a man dressed in Air Nomad clothing, much like how Aang had looked when he paid her the surprise visit.

Jackie nearly felt her heart stop upon seeing the shockingly familiar curve of his back and before she could help herself, she croaked out a breathy, "Dad…?"

"I'm not your dad, kid." The man replied and Jackie felt her cheeks burn in embarrassment. If not by his declaration it was the pitch of his voice that made it clear he was definitely not her father. Jackie's dad had a light baritone voice - almost like water. This man's voice was lower, gruffer and reminded her more of the earth by comparison.

"Oh…" Jackie sighed and she sat up, throwing a quick glance in the mirror to see if she looked better than she felt.

"You seem to be gathering quite a bit of attention since you got here," her guest continued. Jackie narrowed her eyes at him, confused as well as inquiring.

He suddenly let out a snorting sigh, if that was possible, before rising from where he sat to turn to her.

He was muscular but wiry, with messy brown hair, a short beard, olive skin and brown eyes. He was definitely handsome and by the way he stood, Jackie could guess he was a few years shy of thirty. How she confused him to be her father, Jackie couldn't say. Her dad had the body of an experienced swimmer; this guy looked much more like a dancer than anything.

"First your impressive discovery of your earth bending and now facing a Troll and coming out alive," he continued, placing the papers on the table.

"I have to say… not super bad potential as a writer, either." He added before turning back to look at her and crossed his firm arms. Jackie swallowed a bit nervously as she tried to refrain from staring at his arms for longer than necessary.

"Thanks…" Jackie finally said uncertainly. He smirked at her before straightening and heading towards her open window.

"So… any guesses as to who I could be, kid?"

"My… doctor?" She asked, absentminded trying to keep her focus on anywhere but his bare skin. He let out a sudden bark of laughter that nearly made her jump.

"Not even close. I don't think I'd ever qualify as a doctor, anyway." Jackie slid out of her bed, suddenly very uncomfortable being in a bed while he stood just a few feet away.

"Well…" Jackie began as she walked a bit closer to the table, just to see what the papers were about.

"Those papers won't surprise you too much," He said lightly, still gazing out the window. Jackie frowned at his comment and looked back at the stack. After running her eyes over the first few lines, Jackie didn't realize how her eyes began to widen in near horror when she recognized each line and could even tell where the rest of the papers concluded.

"That's…!" Jackie choked before snatching at a page and looked it over several times in shock.

"How did you…?" She exclaimed again, this time looking at the man for answers. He had his head ducked and judging by the rhythmic shake of his shoulders Jackie quickly deduced he was struggling to contain his laughter.

"I'll be honest. It was quite the entertaining read." He said, stifling a laugh in vain.

Jackie slapped the page back on the pile and nearly stormed towards the door in sheer humiliation. He finally let out a bright chuckle before the sound of bed springs squeaking met her burning ears.

"Oh come on, it wasn't a complete terror." he said amicably and Jackie nearly let out an outraged gasp before she whirled on him. Her spit nearly got lodged in her throat to see him lying on her bed, the sunlight cascading over his body, shadows hugging the edges of his arms…

"Get out." Jackie demanded, throwing a finger at the circular door. Had she been able to airbend or even help the door budge she would've slammed it open just to be rid of… whoever he was.

"Whoa, whoa, testy," He whistled before hoisting himself up on his elbows. "You don't do so well with compliments."

"_That _was a compliment?" Jackie snapped, crossing her arms. He rolled his eyes and sighed.

"Alright, I admit, that wasn't the nicest thing in the world…"

"Something of an understatement there," Jackie interjected, fuming. The man gave her a pointed stare before rising to a sit-up position, his arms wrapping around his legs. "Oi, get your feet off my bed!" Jackie growled. He ignored her.

"But if there's one thing I promise I'll be is honest." He continued, folding his legs and leaning towards her. "I'll make sure everything works out between us splendidly."

Jackie glared at him. "Look at you talking as if we're going to be pals. Who are you anyway?"

He raised an eyebrow at her before grinning, "I'll give you a hint. I'll be charged with helping you with your atrocious writing."

"Oh, _now _it's atrocious?" Jackie nearly shrieked before doing a double take. "Wait, charged...?"

"Uh-huh!" He replied cheerfully before a blast of wind hoisted him from the bed and on his feet.

"You don't mean…" Jackie paled, as she finally put two and two together.

"It is a pleasure to meet you Jacqueline Ortega, also known as Jackie," He then gave a gracious, if a bit dramatic, bow. "The name is Ianto Hunter and I will be your assigned teacher for the next few weeks!"

A thin moment of silence met Jackie as she stared at Ianto with jaw wide open and eyes bulging.

When she awoke three hours later she would be kicking herself for passing out. Especially when all he did was look at her, grin and wink.

* * *

_A/N: I know I promised to start classes in this chapter but if I kept going I would never finish this chapter. So starting now I will be uploading much faster, however chapters will be shorter._

_Now we've got some tension and Jackie finally has a teacher! As she begins her classes, the investigation continues on who conjured up the Troll and while Jackie tries to reconcile with Elise, Wolfwood has suddenly disappeared from her life and Jackie struggles to decide whether to tell Elise the truth of what transpired between her and the enigmatic boy. Meanwhile, Aoi, after a sudden confrontation from Baikei begins to question what Wolfwood meant and if there is anything truly to be searched out._

_See you next time!_

_**EDIT: I am no longer accepting Characters at this point. If I were to need them in the future I will let you know. Until then, I AM ONLY ASKING FOR REVIEWS FROM YOU GUYS. You guys have no idea how sad it is to post something you slaved over only to receive zero critiques and/or reactions at all. Honestly. Anyway! Thanks for those of you who are still following this story! Next chapter will be out early June!**_

_**Let it ROCK!**_


	10. Ch9: Grasp the Concept

_Author's note: Alright, guys. Before you harass me for another slow update, I only took this long until I was at least a chapter and a half ahead. I feel much more comfortable being able to post something once I know the next chapter is complete and the consequent chapter is following. So. There. Think of it - updates will be a lot faster now. :)_**  
**

_Once again: HUGE Thanks to Jillie Rose ~ my awesome beta. :)  
_

_Disclaimer: The use of A:TLA and LoK characters is for commercial use only. The Academy and characters and the world within are mine.  
_

* * *

**The Avatar: TLA Fan-fiction Writer's Academy**

_By Midori Aoi_

**Chapter 9:**

**Lesson 1: Grasp the Concept**

* * *

If there was one thing Jackie had anticipated and dreaded in this entire adventure since she was swept from her room and into this dimension, it was the homework. Ever since Aoi told her she was registering as a student, Jackie knew – she just _knew_ – there would be homework involved. No amount of reassuring looks from her guide could shake off the utter annoyance at the thought.

So when Jackie had finally been discharged from the Airbending clinic just two days later, on the desk where she would sign out was a lovely little packet of papers just waiting to be taken by the suddenly sour student. Andi, Jackie's nurse, could only offer a sympathetic smile before placing a sticky note in her hands and ushering her out the door.

"If you ever feel dizzy or have a particularly powerful headache," Andi said as they walked. Jackie nodded dumbly as she looked around. The Air Nomad dorms were a stark contrast to the Earth Kingdom dorms. Where there were earth managed elevators in her dorm, here there were lifts of small platforms attached to rope that would jettison people to specific levels. It was definitely spacious and for the most part, there was no ceiling in the hallways. The sunlight was warm and the air was cool as they walked towards the gate of the dorms, the chattering of students and lemurs was at a dull roar in the background.

"You just let me know," Andi continued, and Jackie snapped her attention back to her nurse and caretaker. "We have some medicines that we can prescribe you in case those symptoms don't go away."

"What medicines?" Jackie asked, raising a brow curiously.

"We don't really have tylenol if you're wondering." Andi grinned, white teeth flashing brilliantly in the sunlight. "Basically we use what herbs and natural ingredients we can get our hands on and modernize them a bit."

"Sounds… interesting," Jackie commented. It really was an interesting topic to her. Ever since she was little Jackie was always fascinated by the healing arts and the like, mostly because her mother was such a health nut and often concocted her own oils and creams for skin care and the like from natural things.

"I'll tell you more about it whenever you're free." Andi offered and Jackie nodded vigorously.

"I would be delighted, thank you."

It was then that they reached the dorm's gates and Jackie noticed with a smile how the letters, _Air Nomad Dorms_ were similar to the font of the show's title. _I need to download that font… _Jackie thought mindlessly before turning to the airbender next to her.

"Thanks for all your help." Jackie said with a quick bow.

"You're sure you don't want one of us to escort you back?" Andi asked, brows creasing with mild worry. Jackie shook her head.

"I'm sure," Jackie began, "If there's anything I need right now is a quiet walk to my room—"

"JACKIE!"

Jackie nearly jumped five feet in the air at the sudden shout had it not been for the large beefy arm that wrapped around her neck and yanking her into an even beefier chest. Letting out a muffled squeak of surprise, Jackie struggled for air as the arms around her pulled her tighter. All too abruptly she was yanked away from the beefy body to have Brad's bright and frantic eyes search hers.

"Brad? Wha—UMPH!" Jackie grunted as Brad pressed her to his chest again only to sweep her away. The crunch of wrinkling papers shocking Jackie to nearly rip her body away from Brad. She only had enough time to tuck her stack of papers within her yellow and orange clothes before Brad swallowed her into another bone-cracking embrace. Jackie had only a split second to try to reach for Andi, yet the airbender waved at her with an incredulous smile – as if unsure what to do aside from letting Brad drag her away.

"Don't worry I've got this, she's a friend!" Brad called over his shoulder as he hijacked Jackie away.

"Brad," Jackie tried to speak as she tried to get him off her, mostly because his hold was so tight it was nearly starving her off oxygen, "What the _hell_—?!"

"Mother of GOD, you had us so worried!" Brad exclaimed again and let go of Jackie enough for the girl to scramble to her feet and gulp down air as if she were drowning.

"Act normal," Brad's voice suddenly came as a whisper in her ear mid-hug and Jackie almost froze. "We need to talk."

Jackie sobered and with a last shove she let Brad release her from his ridiculously tight embrace and drag her off away from the Air Nomad Dorms. It took a total of three minutes of walking casually – or at least attempting to do so, as Brad kept fretting over her, yet after his latest warning Jackie wasn't sure if his fretting was as genuine as he led her to believe.

As soon as they had made their way past several campus avenues and closer to the Earth Dorms did he pull her aside towards a coffee shop, interestingly enough it was called the Jasmine Dragon.

"How about I treat you to some nice relaxing tea?" Brad croon, rubbing her shoulder as if he were comforting a distraught friend. Jackie fought the urge to roll her eyes at his pampering but didn't. "I'm sure it'll do you some good."

"Sounds… nice," Jackie nodded easily, yet she couldn't keep the suspicious lilt from her voice. Brad only gave her a wide grin before ushering her inside. Leading her to a booth right at one of the back corners, Brad unceremoniously dropped her on one of the faux leather benches before heading towards the queue by the cash registers.

Jackie watched with surprise and Brad nearly bulldozed his way past several people towards the line and offer lines of apology when some of the costumers protested. Sure enough Brad finally settled at the end of the queue and Jackie took time to look around her surroundings as she removed her packet of homework to rest on the smooth table top. She shot the packet a quick venomous look before letting her eyes roam around her.

True to its predecessor's namesake, this version of the Jasmine Dragon was definitely as posh as campus life can get. The walls were an immaculate shade of soft gold and jade, evenly split with trims of brown designs of tree branches and imagery of meadows and dragons. The tables were all of pale wood and on some there were center pieces where round candles can be used to light erect sticks of incense next to lovely flower arrangements.

Dried orchids and what delighted Jackie to discover as Panda Lilies were set against the walls in lovely patterns. The scent of Earl Grey, Green tea and Ginseng tickled Jackie's nose and as she inhaled a bit deeper she could barely make out the other delicacies of chocolate, cinnamon and milk.

The overall lighting of the location was soft yet still quite bright as the walls around the door were basically large windows. Jackie continued to observe on the other side of the shop, lounge tables and even bean bags and love sacks spread around smaller tables graced with magazines and books.

"Hmm…" Jackie hummed as she breathed and leaned against the soft bench. This was a really nice place and the people around seemed to happily agree.

"Like it here?" Jackie snapped out of her observant reverie to look at Brad standing above her, holding two steaming mugs. Jackie smiled and rubbed the back of her neck, a bit embarrassed she had been caught in yet another display of her bad habit.

"Yes, it's really cool." Jackie said, giving the place another look over. "I take it this place is a pretty big hot spot."

"You could say that," Brad said, shrugging before sitting himself across from her and setting a mug in front of her.

"What is it?" Jackie asked as she took the mug in her hands, the clay was chrome black and felt very smooth.

"Just try it," Brad urged with a bright grin. "Just be careful, it is pretty damn hot."

Jackie spent a few seconds blowing on her beverage, she guessed it was tea as its scent wasn't as pungent as coffee nor as rich as chocolate. Brad waited patiently as she blew, waiting for her to taste her drink. Jackie finally took a sip before feeling her eyebrows shoot to her hairline and Brad let out a wicked chuckle before taking a swig of his own tea.

"Oh my…" Jackie trailed off, before taking in another long drought of her tea. She moaned softly as she savored the liquid. "What _is_ this? It's _incredible_!"

"It's one of the best teas this place has to offer." Brad exclaimed with a wide grin. Jackie let out an appreciative whistle before taking in another generous sip, mindful not to scald her tongue. "It's a personal favorite. They call it Peachberry Jasmine Sutra."

"Well, it's definitely on my list of favorites now," Jackie grinned after downing another few gulps. It was the perfect kind of sweet and gentle bitterness she can only associate with tea. The scent was delightfully fruity and flowery, peachy and with a sharp kind of berry or something. _I need to learn how to brew this, _Jackie thought as she felt the liquid burn its way down her throat leaving a hot tickle in its wake. "How much was it?"

"About twelve credits, which is about… eh, the equivalent of eight bucks," Brad waved his hand, carelessly and Jackie nodded before turning her attention back to her drink for a short moment. Two more gulps and Jackie let her gaze float back to Brad's face and studied him carefully.

He looked no different than he had a few days ago. Only difference was he was wearing a robe like shirt that tied at the waist in a shade of pale emerald and his pants were a darker shade of green that looked like they've been in the wash one too many times. Jackie narrowed her eyes for a moment as soon as she noticed how his leg kept bouncing and how his fingers rapped over his mug.

"Alright, Brad," Jackie spoke and Brad glanced at her a bit too innocently. "What's going on?"

"Nothing, what's up with you?"

"Spit it out or I'll smack you with a boulder. You said you wanted to talk, so talk." Jackie snapped, suddenly not feeling like dealing with his coy lack of response. Brad averted his gaze to rest on his mug for a moment. Jackie took another sip as he struggled to come out with a response.

"Look, Jackie," Brad began, his voice suddenly sounding stressed. "Before I tell you anything you have to swear you'll keep quiet about it, alright?"

"I have to what?" Jackie asked, eyebrows furrowing.

"Swear!" Brad hissed, glaring at her. Jackie pursed her lips at the demand, yet nodded all the same.

"That…troll…wasn't supposed to appear there." Brad said finally, his voice lowered to a careful hush. Jackie quirked a brow at his words and leaned forward.

"Yeah, we all know that wasn't supposed to happen." Jackie said, feigning a careless shrug. She knew Brad would sense the movement as he still wasn't looking at her, yet her eyes remained intensely fixed on him.

"No, no, that's not…" He trailed off with a heavy sigh, sounding exasperated before letting his shoulders droop. He looked around quickly, ducking to look under the blinds of the large window next to them, his eyes searching rapidly. Jackie frowned at his actions and waited for him to take in an automatic sip of his tea.

"That troll," Brad whispered, leaning in closer to her, bringing up a hand to cover the side of his mouth from the rest of the café, "Wasn't supposed to appear _there_."

Jackie's eyes narrowed at Brad for a moment in confusion before widening in realization at the implication. Setting the mug down with a soft clatter on the wooden table, the tea now forgotten, Jackie leaned closer.

"What… do you mean…?" Jackie began carefully, "It wasn't supposed to appear _there_?"

"I mean," Brad sounded frustrated as he ran a thick hand over his spiky hair. "I mean… that troll wasn't supposed to appear _in_ _the hallway_."

Jackie tried to search his gaze for a sign of a joke but Brad was already averting his gaze. He wasn't joking, though. Jackie knew he wasn't. His body language demonstrated his stress and the weight of his news seemed to be devastating to him.

Jackie opened her mouth to ask a question, her intake of air alerted Brad into looking up at her, his eyebrows creasing sharply over his forehead. Jackie paused for a second, searching for any sign that this was a nasty prank and when she found none, she pressed forward.

"Where was the troll supposed to appear, Brad?" Jackie whispered back, trying to sound light and uncaring.

Brad looked away, shaking his head, "I… I can't tell you that."

"Then why tell me any of this in the first place?" Jackie noticed how he squeezed his cup in what must've been frustration.

"Because…" He began sharply, taking in a deep shuddering breath, "you got hurt, Jackie. You weren't supposed to get hurt. No one in there was supposed to get hurt."

"So… the troll was supposed to appear somewhere… where?" Jackie leaned a bit closer, letting her elbows rest casually on the table top. "Somewhere no one would be around?"

Brad remained silent and took in another sip. Jackie did the same, if only to keep up appearances. Something wasn't right, Jackie knew from the beginning and the moment she asked her latest question the only place that had been haunting her appeared like a nightmare in the back of her mind. Yet another fact rose to Jackie's realization and her eyes widened at Brad.

"You know who's responsible for the Troll." It was not a question.

Brad looked up at her with a grim expression before looking away again, silent. Jackie studied his reaction, more and more little pieces and figured clicking in her mind the more she thought of it.

"You're involved." Jackie breathed and Brad looked at her with wide, pleading eyes.

"Jackie, please…" Brad begged before looking around once more to make sure no one was listening in. Jackie felt a sudden rock fall into the pit of her stomach, making her feel sick. "You swore you wouldn't speak a word."

"What?"

"You can't, Jackie," Brad insisted. "If you do I could get expelled and kicked out of here."

"Then why get involved in something like this?" Jackie shot out, feeling the rock in her stomach light up like a ball of angry flames. "Even better yet, why tell me and expect me to keep quiet?"

"Because I know you are hiding a secret of your own." Brad replied and Jackie felt the next arguments die on her lips. Surprised at this sudden turn of events, Jackie stared at Brad, dumbstruck.

"You're not the only one who's observant," Brad said, sounding more ashamed and bitter by his latest confession.

Jackie fought to get some words on her tongue, to come up with some form of denying what he was accusing her of, but Jackie knew that if she even so much as tried to fight his claim it would only prove him right.

"Listen," Brad said finally after a tense moment of silence. "There are a lot of things about this place that you don't know about. Things the people here don't tell incoming students, hidden things, dark things that should remain under a rug. Things like the Troll that wasn't suppose to appear in the Hallway of Endless Sentences. I can't tell you how I know and I can't tell you why, but you need to help me."

"Why?" Jackie finally asked, taken aback by Brad's new demand.

"I don't understand it, nor do the people I work with. But for some strange reason, you are more involved than any of us are. You saw something, Jackie," Brad said, his eyes were suddenly like a terribly fire and Jackie could only stare at him in shock as he leaned closer. "I don't know what, but whatever it was, you weren't supposed to and that's what makes you dangerous to a lot of people here. That's probably the reason why the Troll appeared where it did."

Jackie felt a new feeling of dread trickle down her throat and rest in her stomach, making her muscles clench uncomfortably. "Wait…" Jackie breathed, unable to find her voice in her horror. "You mean… someone tried to _kill_ me with that Troll?"

"I don't know that," Brad said quickly, "It's only a theory right now. But you have to help."

"H…How?" Jackie asked, closing her eyes tightly in an attempt to let everything register. Someone had been trying to… kill her? She just _got_ here and already she had someone trying to cause her harm? "How do you expect me to help if I don't even know what it is I can do? Why would I even be considered a threat?"

"I don't… know. I was only told to ask for your help. Sometime later you'll be approached. You have to be ready, though, Jackie. Promise me you'll be ready. " Brad sighed and Jackie gritted her teeth in a sudden rage.

"Ready for what, Brad?" Jackie hissed, her voice slowly escalating to a shout. "I didn't ask to be involved in any of this and all of a sudden I found out your involved. I mean, what do you even _want _from me?!"

A sudden hush filled the entire café. In another circumstance, she would've blushed under the sudden scrutiny of all inside but something within her felt stretched, desperate for an answer. Brad looked at her with a mix of horrified surprise and guilt and he looked away.

"Is something… the matter, Miss?" Jackie looked away from Brad and into the concerned look of the café clerk. Jackie looked down at her mug and shook her head.

"No… no, I'm sorry. I was just…" Jackie paused looking back at Brad's averted gaze before biting her lower lip, frustrated. Sighing she looked back at the clerk, "Leaving…" she finished.

The clerk, a young woman with bright gold eyes and dark lips, nodded and walked away. Jackie grabbed her mug and packet of homework, stood and without another word walked out of the café, leaving Brad behind to dwell in his silence.

* * *

It was around 2 pm when Jackie had finally found her way to the dorms, her hands shaking with a strange kind of anxiety. While the tea helped her feel calm, it was as if all the nerves and anticipation shifted to the edges of her limbs, making her feel as if she were a doll being stretched at the seams.

Something in the way Brad had revealed his information made her feel as if she become involved in something bigger than she truly understood. It frightened her and in many ways made her miss her home more than anything. And at this point, Jackie wasn't sure meeting any more characters from the Avatar world would ease her nerves enough to feel safe enough to stay.

Jackie took in a deep breath after rounding another corner of a street and sighed upon seeing the familiar gate of the Earth Dorms. Tugging at her clothes with some embarrassment – she was still dressing in the robes of an airbender – Jackie tried to walk with more confidence as she made her way towards the gate. Some people gave her surprised looks and Jackie knew why. You don't usually see kids of other dorms around here, and dressed as if she were an Air Nomad Jackie had a feeling that's how she was being taken in.

Aside from curious glances Jackie was partially ignored as people went to and fro to various destinations. Jackie noticed some students running full sprints in certain directions, carrying knapsacks or back packs and looking as if distressed. Jackie bit her lip with understanding. She remembered that feeling all too well. Being late to a class was never a good feeling and while running was something she relished, sprinting for her life was never an ideal reason.

_Dark holes where eyes used to be. A wide and crooked, deranged and fanged grin. Flames and howls so powerful it tore at her stomach with its vibrations. _

Jackie winced and took in a deep breath. She clutched at her packet a bit tighter to stop the trembling from spreading from her hands.

As she neared the gate she spotted a blot of yellow amongst the green, browns and blacks. Was there another student of the Air Dorms here? Jackie picked up the pace to see if she could spot the source of orange and yellow and when she was finally within distance, felt her face fall dramatically.

"Jacqueline!" Jackie fought off the urge to run in another direction the moment she met Ianto's perky smirk. She had hoped to catch a nap before tackling the packet within her robes.

"I was hoping you'd show up. _Love_ the outfit." Ianto spoke as he sauntered his way towards her. Jackie felt her heart nearly stop as soon as she caught the looks of wonder from students around her. Many girls looked at her with mixed expressions of envy, jealousy and disappointment. Jackie couldn't even pull up the energy to feel even a little bit smug for having a completely heart throb for a teacher.

"What are you _doing_ here?" Jackie hissed as soon as he got close, feeling her cheeks burn bright red.

Ianto gave her an innocent look and Jackie nearly kicked him then and there. "Why, I'm picking up my student. Is that so wrong?"

Jackie felt herself wanting disappear into the ground. It was then she remembered her newfound ability and nearly earth bent herself into the ground but before she could even get in a stance he swept her under his arm. Jackie looked around and felt her entire face and neck begin to burn hotly at the scandalized stares.

"Now, Jacqueline," Ianto began.

"Jackie." Jackie corrected with a groan. Unsurprisingly enough, Ianto ignored her.

"I do hope you've gone over the packet I left for you, as we will be covering all of those things starting now." Ianto explained with a flourish, dragging her away from the dorms. Jackie shot a reluctant glance at the building that harbored a bed and food before registering her teacher's words.

"Wait—NOW?!" Jackie exclaimed.

"Of course! You've missed out on practically a week of class! We need to catch you up in order to follow the schedule!"

"But, hold on! Can't I get a moment to process this?"

"Nope!" Ianto replied cheerfully before making his way towards the side of a small café, resting by the wall was a long air staff.

"Alright, just wait here." Ianto patted her on the head before setting her aside. Jackie watched, dumbfounded, as he reached toward the staff and with a quick flick to the ground two very wide wing like contraptions popped out from the staff.

Jackie's eyes bulged and before she could admire the air glider with more detail, Ianto quite unceremoniously scooped her up, ("Wait, what are you –?") tossed her over his back ("Hey, wha-?!"), making sure her arms were secure around his neck, ("Huh? Oh! No, no, no-!") And with a quick jump took off to the skies in a whirlwind of orange and yellow, Jackie's long and surprised shriek echoing in the courtyard beneath them.

* * *

"Jacqueline."

"WHAT?!"

"We're on the ground now… you can let go. Now. …please."

Jackie let out a shaky sigh the moment she felt her feet touch the ground. Carefully she dropped her clawed hands from Ianto's robes and skin as soon as she felt her heart rate go down and the feeling of vertigo subsided.

"Could you do me a favor and _warn_ me before you decide to take off into the air like that?" Jackie said. She cleared her throat, hoarse and dry from her screaming. No sooner did Ianto shoot to the sky did Jackie clutch at his body like a vice, screaming at him to set her down and that he was going to kill them. It didn't help he began to spin them several times, before taking swooping dives to the ground that nearly killed Jackie from the sheer force and fright alone.

It wasn't that Jackie hated heights or flying by any chance. If there had to be a reason for scare, it was probably because a strange man was her only life jacket. Not exactly the most reliable insurance against certain death.

"It would've been a whole different experience if you didn't shriek like a banshee in my ear all the time." Ianto grunted. Strapping his glider to his back, he stabbed at his ears with his nails, scratching furiously.

Jackie glowered at him, "Okay, what's with the British accent?"

"What're you talking about? I always talk this way." Ianto replied, peevish.

"I think I'd remember a northern English accent." Jackie rolled her eyes, breathing deeply as her heart continued to slow down. Jackie allowed herself a moment to look around. They were definitely not anywhere she'd remember. The tour, while extensive at best, did not cover every nook and cranny of the campus. What she was able to gather at least was that they were somewhere that had a shop called _The Fire Cracker. _Whatever student that was around was dressed in the red and golden robes of the Fire dorms, but before Jackie could muster an ounce of excitement for the new location, Ianto swooped in to crush it.

"Oh well, look at you. The expert in accents." Ianto mocked with a sour expression. "Come along, Ortega. Unless you've got a heady schedule filled with activities meant to entertain your stuffy attitude, let's go. We've work to catch you up on."

Jackie glared heatedly at her teacher's back and was slightly pleased to realize his skin and figure didn't leave her flushed with teenage hormones. _Thank god for that, _Jackie thought miserably as she began to follow.

The walk was relatively short, if you could even call it a walk. Ianto, being a man with many skills and a well endowed body (_not_ that Jackie was paying any special attention to or anything) was striding along as if talking a leisurely stroll. Yet the distance his long legs traveled was wide enough to keep Jackie nearly jogging behind him to catch up.

Thankfully, the route was traversed in a general silence, leaving Jackie with enough attention span to take in details of their surroundings all the while trying to keep pace. The buildings here were all following the style of what Jackie could tell was Fire Nation. The Asian curved roofs and colorful tiles were lovely and the sliding doors and long stretches of outer hallways were of clean wood. Even the smell was different, a sharp yet pleasant spice filled the air of what Jackie could guess was cinnamon but couldn't really identify.

It was with some relief that Jackie discovered she wasn't the only student garbed in foreign clothing. Her yellow and orange wasn't a strange sight amongst the various colors. At one point, Jackie swore she saw someone wearing neon green before the color disappeared with the speed of their pace.

They were beginning to pass through the restaurant district – Jackie knew this because she saw the building where she had one of her meals during the tour – when they made a sharp left turn and walked through an alley.

The sudden silence of the alley was quite a difference from the dull roar of student life and with another turn to the right they headed past a bright red colored door and towards what looked like an outside lift.

"Alright, our first classroom is going to be on the third floor." Ianto spoke casually as he glanced around the area. Jackie let her eyes roam over the outer elevator, marveling at the glass and utterly modern style of the lift despite the older looking style of the building.

"We take this lift because it's more of a less used route. We'll be taking this for the next few sessions as a very convenient short cut."

Jackie nodded as soon as the glass doors slid open. "What's this?" Ianto asked with mock surprise. "No witty retort? No scathing remark?"

"Don't tempt me." Jackie grumbled. Ianto laughed and pulled her in. With the press of a button the two began to head up and Jackie blinked rapidly when the sun light spewed over the low roof of the building ahead of them. Turning away, Jackie realized that the door into the building was set to the back and when the metal doors slid open they were met with a surprised gaze.

"Arturo!" Ianto chirped with a wide grin. The boy in front of Jackie blinked away from her and looked at Ianto with a shocked expression.

"Professor Hunter?" The boy – Arturo – asked and his surprised gawk dropped to one of what looked like dull boredom. "I thought we agreed you'd stop taking this lift. You know how the faculty gets."

"Oh come on now Arty, you and I both know Baikei won't really mind. She owes me a favor!" Ianto exclaimed, slapping the boy on the shoulder before brushing past. Jackie threw him a shrug before running after her teacher.

"I hope that's true, Professor!" Arturo called from behind them, "If not for your sake then for mine!"

"Off you go, Arty! I'll see you at the staff meeting!" Ianto called over his shoulder before yanking Jackie down a hallway. The building looked similarly to how an office building set in 1920's Asia would look like. It was spacious and the colors soothing, yet the signs of Asian décor and taste where everywhere.

"Who was that kid?" Jackie asked as soon as Ianto pulled her past another hallway and towards a sliding door with a golden _354 _was etched in gold into the wood.

"An old student turned colleague. You can apply for jobs here on campus. You get paid in credits much like how jobs work in the real world, so it gives you a bit of an edge over other newbies." Ianto said as he placed a hand over the number. With a swift glow of the digits, Jackie could hear a soft whirring before the door unlocked and slid open.

Jackie didn't know what she had been expecting but it wasn't this.

The room was ridiculously spacious, like the inside of a dojo and equally as well lit. The floor was tiled with tatami mats and various throw pillows. The wall opposite of the door was covered in light blue glass and lit from behind, a bright red and curling dragon stretched over its smooth surface. The detail was exquisite, the scales lined with gold and each individual scale gave off a polished shimmer. The dragon was, of course, painted in the style of Asian art, complete with curling fangs while its large maw was open wide, its forked tongue lapping behind it as if the wind were forcing it back.

Swirling clouds caressed the back of the dragon and she could see they were drawn with wide and long black strokes, yet their insides were fluffy white.

"Now that," Jackie breathed, "Is beautiful…"

"Well, don't just stand there gawking like an idiot." Ianto called from her from the other side of the room. Jackie nearly did a double take.

"How'd you get there so fast?" Jackie asked, noticing his bare feet and hopped quickly to take off her shoes.

"I tip-toed," Ianto drawled. "Close the door."

As soon as Jackie did as she was told, Ianto padded a cushion beside him and she quickly made her was towards it.

"Today, we're going to do a quick free write." Ianto started.

"Ew…" Jackie grumbled as she sat before something smacked her head. "OW!"

"No dissing the free writes." Ianto scolded, holding what looked like a folded fan in his hand. Jackie rubbed at the sore spot quietly but sent him a grueling stare. He grinned.

"Now, I will present you a topic and you will write two paragraphs on the topic. You've got three minutes to think on what to write and seven to do the writing." He explained as he reached behind him and pulled out a long and polished wooden box.

"And what's the point of this exercise?" Jackie tried not to sound too annoyed.

"I want to see how well your creativity and structure work together on a short notice." Jackie pouted grimly. Ianto opened the box and pulled out a slip of paper and a pen.

"I thought all this stuff is digital." Jackie grumbled when she took the offered objects, only to be rewarded with another smack to the head.

"You need to develop discipline." Ianto said firmly, ignoring Jackie's frantic rubbing at her head. "There's no way you'll develop it if you don't learn how to properly write. Now…" Ianto turned around to reach for something else. Jackie couldn't help but stick out her tongue at him.

"I'm going to time you." He chirped, holding up a stopwatch. Handing her the wooden box so she could write on it, he readied the stop watch. Jackie uncapped the pen and looked at him expectantly.

"Your topic is: Renaissance." Ianto's thumb clicked the stop watch's start button.

"Wait, what?" Jackie asked, startled. "As in I have to write about the Renaissance?"

"Make something up on the Renaissance." Ianto shrugged, glancing at the stopwatch slyly. Jackie looked at its ticking hands with vehement dislike and instead of wasting more time asking questions she looked down at her blank piece of paper and placed her pen on the paper.

A sudden smack struck her pen holding hand and Jackie yelped.

"Three minutes to think, woman." Ianto said. "Create an idea, a structure and an ending before you commit to paper."

"But you said this is a free-write!" Jackie exclaimed, rubbing her red wrist with the irritation of a wounded puppy.

"Free-write, not trash-write. We are building discipline first. Once you master the basics, THEN you are allowed to spit garbage on a paper, because THEN will it be well constructed garbage instead of the mind numbing cesspool you'll most likely put out."

"Well excuse me, Professor." Jackie muttered under her breath. Ianto frowned at her and pointed at the stopwatch in his hand. Jackie gave him a flat pout in return before glancing back at the white and very blank page in front of her.

The last time Jackie wrote on the Renaissance it had been in school and she had done her own version of Leonardo Da Vinci's biography. He had always been one of her favorite historical figures, always thinking way ahead of his time. His inventions and ideas were phenomenal and she could never understand why society didn't quite accept him the way it needed him to.

Jackie looked back at the stop watch. Two more minutes…

Jackie placed the end of the pen on her lips, nibbling her teeth on the plastic as she continued to think. _I could always write about Da Vinci… No. Ianto said I have to make it up. But… he didn't say I couldn't use anything that happened in the Renaissance. …What was that game Marcus played all the time back at home? Assassins Greed…? No. Assassin's Creed. Didn't that take place in the Renaissance? Hold on… it's coming back to me. Yeah it had to do with the Assassins versus the Templars. Oh shoot, one more minute. Okay, focus. _

Jackie bit hard on the end of her pen. Her other hand was pressed firmly against the wooden box and her paper. _Okay. Young girl who sells apples wants to sell an apple to Leonardo Da Vinci. There. _

No sooner did her time run out, Jackie began writing.

_Adélee was a happy girl who lived on the corner by the large plaza. Her father was a happy book store keeper and her mother a florist. To bring more money home, Adélee would sell apples to anyone. She loved the smell of apples. One day, she went down a street she hadn't really walked thru and found herself by what looked like a shop. 'maybe I can sell this person apples' she thought and walked in. _

_What she found wasn't what she had thought. It looked like a wood shop! Inside was a man carving on a strange thing and when he glanced up, Adélee waved, 'I'm selling apples. Would you like an apple?'_

'_An apple sounds great!' the man exclaimed. 'I am Leonardo. Who are you?' _

_Adélee bowed, 'Adélee, sir. Are you the great Leonardo Da Vinci—_

"Time's UP," Jackie jumped and let out a wail of protest once Ianto snatched the paper from her.

"I'm not finished!" Jackie cried, trying to get her paper back only to be greeted by another smack to the head. "OW! Will you _stop_ that?!"

"Tough luck," Ianto said with a smirk. "Now hold still while I go over what you wrote."

Jackie fought the urge to punch her teacher in the gut and held still. A few seconds passed as she saw Ianto's brown eyes absorb the words on her paper. A sudden and very fierce anxiety filled her stomach as she waited the verdict. To say that she wasn't used to learning so privately with someone was an understatement. Jackie didn't like seeing the reaction her writing brought out, which is why she stuck to fanfiction instead one-on-one readings with other people. Even when Erica asked to read her Zutara story, Jackie insisted on her friend reading it once it was posted up.

"Hmm…" Ianto hummed. Jackie nearly broke the pen she had in a very tight grip as soon as he looked at her.

"Not bad."

"But…?" Jackie urged and nearly bit her tongue.

"Boring, inconsistent, but it wasn't bad. I was expecting much worse." Jackie let out a breath she didn't realize she had been holding but still felt somewhat wounded by his words.

"Why boring and inconsistent?" Jackie willed herself to ask.

"Well," Ianto placed his elbows on his knees, his eyes re-reading the work on the paper. "For one, I have no idea who this Adélee girl really is. I don't know how she looks like, how old she is, where she comes from. I don't know where this whole event took place. You mention Leonardo Da Vinci but is he really the inventor himself? Not to mention, Adélee isn't a name you'd encounter in the Italian Renaissance – if I can assume this whole place took in Italy.

"Furthermore, her father is a Book keeper and her mother a florist, and yet she sells apples? If she were a child then why is she not selling bookmarks or flowers? You didn't often see a child selling produce that wasn't in the family business, unless she's got some estranged uncle who's got an orchard somewhere."

Jackie felt a weird sadness enter her stomach as she listened to Ianto continue to rip her story apart.

"Another thing," He continued. "The dialogue; It isn't credible. I can believe she'll enter a store to sell her apples but you need to take into consideration the conflict of each interaction. Is Leonardo so bright and chirpy he'll accept anyone interrupting his work? Perhaps have them in a situation where their interaction is more exciting to the reader. Her bumping into him and causing all her apples to fall can cause the kind of conflict to be more inciting to the reader than her just walking into a store."

Jackie sighed and Ianto paused in his words. "I get it…" Jackie murmured, looking down at her lap. "I'm not a great writer."

A hand suddenly made its way towards her chin before gently lifting it up. Jackie looked at Ianto with mixed surprise and disappointment.

"You're not a great writer." Ianto said with a light smile. "But you've got what it takes to get there."

It was in that moment that she was looking so intently into his eyes that Jackie realized how dangerous their proximity was. Her cheeks warmed brightly as he continued to stare into her eyes and Jackie looked away quickly, Ianto's hand disappearing from her chin.

Ianto cleared his throat, if a bit awkwardly and Jackie pretended to become rather interested in the border of two tatami mats.

"Alright, I think this would call for a quick break." Ianto said, moving to stand up and Jackie began to follow suit when the door of their room suddenly slid open. Three people stood there, dressed in sharp armor, there wasn't any color to their uniform aside from dark green and gray.

"Jacqueline Ortega?" Spoke the woman at the front, her dark eyes narrowing as she found Ianto in the room.

"Uh… yeah…?" Jackie replied when the two armored men moved behind the woman and towards her. Long vines of what looked like cable shot out from their wrists to whip the floor menacingly.

"You'll need to come with us."

* * *

**Well, well. Seems like there seems to be a hidden plot beneath the safety school isn't there? But what does it have to do with Jackie? **

**NEXT TIME: **_Jackie is taken in for questioning but before her memories expose Brad to the officials another emergency pulls the attention away from unwanted memories and the investigation goes down another direction. Back in the dorm, Jackie tries to speak to Elise about their fight but her unwillingness to tell Elise of Wolfwood only causes more problems. Meanwhile Aoi is suddenly confronted by her sister, Baikei and after some information is revealed goes on a hunt to find Wolfwood. _

_**I know I've been bad at uploading (good god, it's been two years since I published this thing.) but now that everything is falling into place I'll be writing much faster now. Stay tuned! (I still need staff characters so if you have any characters – please PRIVATE MESSAGE ME.)**_

_**Thanks guys!**_

_**Mido-Ao**_


	11. Ch10: Questioning

**The Avatar: TLA Fan-fiction Writer's Academy**

_By Midori Aoi_

**Chapter 10:**

**Questioning  
**

* * *

"You need to come with us."

Ianto took a quick step in front of Jackie, shielding her from the two armored men.

"Suli?" Ianto asked, quirking a brow at the armored woman. "What's this about?"

"I'm a lieutenant now, Professor." The woman – Suli – replied tersely. "Mistress Baikei is demanding Ms. Ortega be brought in for questioning."

"We're in the middle of class, Suli," Ianto said with a sigh of exasperation, as if he were talking to a child who had been warned not to take a treat and took it anyway.

"Lieutenant Suli," she corrected him, obviously agitated. Her dark eyes narrowed, telegraphing her dislike of being patronized, "and I'm afraid you'll have to finish some other time."

"Hold on," Jackie said, nervously eyeing the cables the men had shot out of their wrists. "I wasn't due to come in until tomorrow…"

"Your appointment has been moved up," Lt. Suli replied. "Now put on your shoes, we're leaving."

"I'm coming along then," Ianto replied cheerily. The lieutenant glared at him.

"She's my student, Lieutenant. Last I checked I am allowed to keep an eye on my pupils."

Something transpired in that moment that Jackie didn't quite catch. It felt almost like a tiny, invisible power struggle. The Lieutenant's stare was defiant, challenging. Ianto returned with an easygoing grin quite at odds with the icy chill in his eyes. But there was something else that changed in his body as well, the laid back stance changing into one more powerful, coiled with tension. It reminded Jackie of her father's friends, Brigadier General Stewart. Every time she saw him speak to her father it was always in this stance.

"Very well, Professor." Lt. Suli said. Jackie nearly heaved a sigh of relief. Turning to the two men Suli gave a curt nod, and the cables shot back into the men's wrist cuffs. Jackie gulped.

After putting on her shoes, Jackie began to follow their escorts out the door and through the building. Curious glances were thrown in their direction and Jackie would've squirmed nervously if it hadn't been for Ianto's presence at her side.

The walk out of the building was relatively uneventful. People merely glanced at them curiously before going about their own business, and soon Jackie's anxiety had boiled down to a light simmer in her stomach.

Why was it moved up so suddenly? Aoi had said that the earliest they could schedule her to meet with their Waterbenders was until tomorrow. Could they have received information that she knew more now? What if they had been following her and saw her talking to Brad?

A lump of worry lodged itself in her throat at the thought. Brad had made her swear not to speak and if her suspicions were correct, once the officials discovered the information Brad gave her, something bad would happen. No doubt they'd think she was involved and have her expelled instantly.

Jackie nearly paled at the thought and shook her head, taking a moment to look around her surroundings in hope to find comfort in the splendor. What she saw instead made her stomach jump and drop to her feet.

Wolfwood.

Onyx eyes gazed carefully over the crowd. Meeting her gaze, he looked almost disinterested, but there was something in his expression that hinted at danger. He stood like a shadow amongst colors, black hair and pale skin and dark eyes that sent a thrill down her spine… and it frightened her. Jackie almost couldn't believe he was right there and just as she made to turn towards him, he shook his head once as if telling her to back off. His stare nearly set fire to her veins yet that single subtle movement made her freeze, as if someone had just dumped a bucket of ice cold water down her back.

"Hey, Ortega," Ianto's voice jerked her from her stare down with Wolfwood. Ianto's brown eyes were concerned. "You're not going to pass out, are you?"

Jackie shook her head, looking back into the crowd to see if she could spot Wolfwood again, but he was gone. "No…" Jackie said. "I'm fine."

The remainder of the walk was spent in uneasy silence. As soon as they left the Fire district of the campus, Jackie recognized their route began to head towards the Library. Confused, Jackie opened her mouth to voice her question yet the words died in her mouth. Instead, she continued to follow feeling strangely empty inside.

Had he really been there? Of course he was. There had been a breeze and Jackie remembered how his black bangs rose and fell across his eyes. No ghost would be affected by the elements.

…Right?

But if he was there, then why make it known? What was he hiding?

The sound of a metal door opening and closing brought Jackie out of her reverie.

It looked like a secret entrance on the back wall of the Library. Jackie blinked and found what looked like a lock meant for a pass card and saw that the little light at the top was green. Before she could bother to remember if she saw the lieutenant take out a card they were being ushered in. Ianto pushed gently at her shoulder, yet when she looked his expression appeared bored.

The hallway here looked no different than the hallways of the Library, only there were no books nestled on the walls and the ceiling was far closer to the ground. Sconces of warm gold light were set evenly spaced upon the dark wooden walls and as they moved further down the hallway, Jackie noticed another door. Two sconces were set on either side, their color flickering from green to yellow to blue. This time Jackie was paying attention when the Lieutenant pulled out a card and slid it down the lock on the side, its little red light blinking green before the sound of air hissing out greeted them. The door slid open smoothly, the sconces bursting a bright green before flickering back to yellow.

"Come along." Lt. Suli barked and Jackie flinched. They walked through into what looked like an elevator, except there was a cabinet on the side and a small darkened window. Gray lines crisscrossed the glass, a tell-tale sign it was reinforced. As soon as they were all inside, one of the guards pressed a wrist against the control system, where a simple space and a small hole were set above the panel and buttons and with the speed of a snake's bite, Jackie saw the cable on the guard's wrist jut out and into the small hole.

"Authorizing…" A woman's computerized voice spoke up and Jackie inhaled to calm herself.

Something about this whole thing made her nervous and she desperately tried to keep cool lest her escorts began to suspect she was hiding something. Which she was.

"Access Authorized. Now heading towards Central Defense Mainframe Interrogation Cells," The voice spoke and Jackie felt her stomach drop.

"Wait, what?" Jackie gasped.

"Please do not press any buttons for change of destination and remain inside the coach at all times until destination is reached."

"Calm down, Ortega." Ianto muttered.

"It said 'interrogation cells'!" Jackie whispered back, trying and failing to keep her voice quiet. "I thought this place was a school! School's don't have prisons or interrogation cells!"

"Of course they do," Lt. Suli replied, her dark lips quirking in a half-hidden smirk. "They just call it by a different… kinder name."

Jackie shook her head in confusion and unconsciously held her breath when the Lieutenant turned to look at her.

"What else do you think detention means, kid?"

Jackie's mouth fell open in a shocked gape before closing it and looking away. Ianto rolled his eyes and nudged her gently with his elbow.

"Don't let her get to you, kid." Ianto said. "You're not in any trouble. They're going to be taking you to a simple room located just outside the detention unit. That's where they'll be asking you questions. The detention area is a just-in-case place for people who may be a threat to the school's students and faculty, as well as to the characters of the shows. Those who are responsible for the creation of a Level 3 and over Troll are brought here for questioning as well as getting started on the expulsion process." Upon a worried glance from Jackie, Ianto chuckled.

"Relax," He grinned, placing a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "You're not going to get expelled."

The door let out a simple beep and their movement shifted from going down to the left. The hum of the elevator whirred and growled as soon as they began to slow. Brad's despairing face popped into Jackie's mind and the knot in her stomach only got tighter.

"It's not me I'm worried about." Jackie muttered under her breath.

As soon as the doors opened there was a bustle of activity just outside in what looked like a lobby. About fifty or so people bustled here and there, monitoring screens and printing out sheets of paper to run to the side offices. The room here was spacious and bright. On the corners of the dome-like ceiling were wide, square spaces of glass where sunlight poured right in. The light was bright enough that any other lighting wasn't exactly necessary, yet panels of overhead lighting provided what little lighting the shifting sunlight would eventually take away.

Jackie and her escorts received little to no attention, and for that the young girl was grateful. Somewhere in the room, Jackie could smell the warm and crisp smell of glazed donuts, fruit salad and coffee. Before Jackie could figure out where the smell was coming from, however, she was quickly taken to a set of double doors and escorted through.

The hallways were dark and with similar sconces to the first, except all the lights were green and the walls and floor were made of metal. Their walk was shorter this time as they turned to a long simple door and opened it.

Jackie let out a breath, clearly taken aback by what she saw. She had expected a dark room, with a single chair and table and a harsh white light. In essence, she had expected an interrogation room. This… this room looked like the inside of a sauna!

There was a reclining chair in the center that looked comfortable enough to sleep in. the lighting was soft and calming and there was a sweet scent in the air that made Jackie feel right at ease.

"Sit." The lieutenant commanded with a curt push and Jackie made her way in. "We will be sending in a waterbender to get started on you. So, sit and get comfortable now. She will be with you shortly."

Jackie nodded silently before making her way to the chair. Once she sat down she saw them turn to leave and nearly stood up when she saw Ianto turn along with them.

"Wait!" Jackie called and Ianto turned with a raised brow. Jackie hesitated, suddenly feeling rather sheepish and embarrassed that she called out to him like a child afraid of getting a vaccine shot.

"I… never mind," Jackie said finally with a sigh.

"Take it easy, Ortega." Ianto said with a light chuckle, and with that he turned and the door closed behind him, leaving Jackie alone.

* * *

Fingers were rapidly tapping against the smooth keys of a glowing keyboard, followed by a click and silence. Dark eyes read the response given on the screen and a frown furrowed slender eyebrows. A pause. More tapping and a click.

Aoi let out a long, heavy sigh as she sat back on the slim black chair. The lights were dim in this particular part of the library, something of a miracle all things considered. Her classes were taking a break. Professor Rose had been called in to deal with a lead they had in the Troll case and left a message that classes would be postponed.

Aoi understood that part just fine. But there was something else that bothered her: the matter of her teacher's strange behavior before the actual attack. Something wasn't adding up.

The messenger on her screen let out a small chime, signaling the arrival of a new message. Aoi lifted a hand to the mouse and moved it towards the small icon. Aoi bit her lip, annoyed at the fact she had to use such an obsolete model, but she dealt with it. Most computer systems offered to students in the school didn't need the use of a computer mouse – it was much more convenient that way. But this conversation required utter discretion, and Aoi knew contacting this particular person would have her thrown directly into the detention center. In this sense, obsolete was necessary.

"Meet me by the docks."

Aoi's fingers froze over the glowing keyboard, her eyes wide as she read and re-read the message. A few seconds past as she considered the invitation. If she were caught, she would get stripped of her abilities and possibly suspended. Could she really risk all she's worked for?

Eyes so dark they could tear you down, flames licking the air, poisoning the air with acrid smoke. Staring down into the kneeling, crippled figure of her charge. Jackie probably didn't realize it; but she was screaming a shriek so pained and guttural, it was a wonder she didn't spit blood afterward.

Aoi's fingers curled into tight fists, her lips spreading into a thin, pale line. She had promised to keep the girl safe and she failed. Whoever did this would be stopped and punished. And Aoi couldn't ensure that unless she brought such retribution herself.

Stretching her fingers with new found resolve, Aoi typed and clicked.

"When?"

In that small pause, Aoi knew that her contact was smirking.

"You'll know soon enough."

Without so much as a reply, Aoi shut the monitor off. The button bounced back at her, dented with the force her finger had pressed.

Leaning back against the chair, Aoi sighed again. A few moments passed as she stayed watching the old monitor fade from white to gray to black. There was a pit in her stomach, like a rock had settled there and was dragging her down.

She reached back and pulled the whirligig from behind her ear, black strands catching in the spinner. Aoi paused as she eyed the ebony strands of hair before pulling them off the contraption. The quad-colored wings moved lazily in her hands and Aoi nudged the tip of one with a slender finger.

"You've got a taste for the dangerous, don't you, little blue?"

Aoi froze, the whirligig spinning rapidly once before stopping at a complete standstill, the tips burned a fierce white for a second. Aoi let out a strained breath through her nose as she felt her latest company shift behind her to sit across from her. Dark brown eyes met onyx in a steely gaze.

"Oh and," the bastard had the gall to grin, "I simply adore your hair. Nice color."

"Wolfwood," Aoi spoke. Her voice was a hiss, soft and predatory.

"You should know better," he continued. "Asking for his help is a risky move, even for you." Aoi's eyes flashed.

"Who I speak to and what I do is none of your business, freshman."

Wolfwood chuckled, "Ouch. That was unnecessary, little blue. After all we've been through and you still can't find it in your heart to forgive me? Or even thank me?"

"You've done nothing to deserve either." Aoi growled, the whirligig beginning to spin. The breeze it cast made several locks of her hair sway.

"Oh, really," Wolfwood grinned, leaning toward her. Aoi inched back as one slim ray of sunlight from a shutter struck the side of his face, casting a ghastly shadow. "I deserve nothing even after I ensured the safety of your charge? That's rather ungrateful of you, Aoi. Just think. If Jackie had been left just a few more minutes more under the Troll's power… well,"

He gave her a soft smirk. "It'd be a pity your very first…chaperon assignment ended up with a tragic failure."

Aoi's grip tightened around the slim stem of her whirligig, which spun ever faster as the tips bled white, casting dancing shadows.

"Alas, I'm not here to just ask for a simple display of gratitude, so you can tell your little toy to calm down." Wolfwood said after a tense moment of silence. "I've something to ask you."

"What makes you think I'll answer anything you ask?" Aoi replied, testily. The whirligig's spinning died down, yet the tips continued to burn white.

"I don't expect you to. Right now, that is." Wolfwood shrugged, before turning away from her to sit on the counter of the desk. "But if you must know, whether or not you have an answer is not really something I care for."

"What do you care for, then, Wolfwood?" Aoi asked.

Wolfwood kept his gaze away from her. Yet Aoi's eyes were not on his face, rather they rested on the silver chain on his neck and the way his fingers twitched at her question. How about that? Aoi thought, curiously.

"Looks like it's going to rain, wouldn't you say, Aoi?" Wolfwood finally asked. Aoi frowned and before she could open her mouth to respond, Wolfwood straightened and walked away without another glance and another word.

"What?" Aoi whispered, her brows burrowing. Turning to ask Wolfwood what he meant, Aoi's words died on her tongue. He had gone and the only evidence he was ever there was the whirling of her totem.

* * *

"Close your eyes…"

Jackie flinched, but did as she was told. Behind her closed eyelids, she could feel the sharp brightness of a light being turned on above her. Somewhere behind her, water gurgled gently against the sink behind her chair. Jackie had been a bit antsy when they told her a Waterbender was going to go through her memories. Her anxiety doubled, however, when not one, not two, but three Waterbenders walked in, sporting the blue clothes of the tribes. Sadly, I.C wasn't amongst them to give her a comforting wink.

Jackie nearly giggled when she thought about what I.C would have said.

"Relax…" it was a woman who spoke, her voice gentle and lulling. Jackie dry swallowed and nodded slowly. It was tough, but she managed to lie completely still against the reclining chair.  
The sound of water sliding against porcelain was the only thing keeping the silence from choking Jackie and try as she might, she couldn't quite get herself to calm down enough to not rouse suspicion. The water gurgled and let out a thin warble.

"So… how does this work, anyway?" Jackie asked, trying to make light conversation despite the obvious strain in her voice. Hopefully, they didn't notice.

"Much like in the episode, I assume you've seen it," began one of the male Waterbenders. He shuffled behind before a series of clicks began. Jackie guessed he was turning on some kind of technological equipment, yet she didn't see any when she first entered the room.

"We'll be attaching some electrodes to your scalp in which we can gather your brain activity – don't worry it's safe with the water we'll use." He continued, as the woman pulled at Jackie's hair with considerate gentleness. Tying it back, they then slid a strange cap with what felt like little rubber suction cups over her scalp, tugging her hair through its opposite end.

"The water we use has several chemical components that help stimulate more activity in the hippocampus –,"

"The… what?" Jackie asked, baffled.

"It's the part of your brain where you record memories before they are stored in your frontal cortex." The other man spoke. Jackie recalled some of the things she learned in the brain when she took psychology in her last semester of school.

"Considering your memories are still pretty fresh, we should have no problem accessing them. Through Waterbending we'll be able to access more into brain activity than we would without. The brain is surrounded by the cerebrospinal fluid, so we can stimulate more than just electrical shocks," The former Waterbender finished, sounding rather pleased with his explanation.

"We have a specific machine that allows us to look at basically everything," continued the other waterbender. "Brain waves, EEG, all of that good stuff. More importantly, we've managed to find a way, through means of this machine and Waterbending, to translate your brain activity when recalling a memory into an actual picture on a screen."

"Wow," Jackie said, trying to sound as excited as they were. The news just made her all the more nervous. "Fascinating…"

"I wish we could take this back to our world…" the first sighed, "But the science can only work if we were able to harness the power of bending. Sadly, that isn't the case in our world, nor will it ever be."

"Alright, Greg," the woman chuckled, "Enough with the soliloquies, we need her at least somewhat alert throughout the procedure, so quit trying to put her to sleep."

"She asked, didn't she?" the man – Greg – pointed out, peevish. "I was only explaining."

A collective chuckle helped lift the tension from Jackie's shoulders slightly, but the thought they would be able to actually see what she remembered only made a nervous sweat collect on her palms, and Jackie fought the urge to rub her hands on her clothes.

"Alright, we will be bending the water to your head now, just try to relax." the woman said softly.

Jackie flinched the moment the water met her temples and ears, thankfully it was warm and soothing. It didn't take very much until Jackie allowed herself to melt into the seat.

"I want you to begin remembering from the moment you entered the Hallway and we'll go from there." The woman spoke, her voice slightly distorted as some of the water trickled over Jackie's ears. Jackie nodded softly before going back and remembering Kim and her Mingxing.

Suddenly, that feeling Jackie got before she would fall asleep enveloped her and it was as if she were falling straight into that moment when Elise grabbed her elbow and yanked her in the direction the tour group was headed. Anger filled her stomach as she moved past Wolfwood, and her eyes searched for him but he had disappeared amongst her peers.

It was as if she was reliving every moment again, yet she knew it had all happened.

Yet something seemed to be whirring in the background – like the tiny hisses of a camera rolling. She wondered if it was the sound from the suction cups that were pressed to her scalp. Jackie's eyes fluttered as her mind recollected the moment they walked through the doors.

The dread and sense of panic of the walk through the first hall made her hands grip at the seat, and she remembered Elise's presence and the comfort of being able to hold her hand. Guilt filled her at the thought of her friend, mixing with the fierce irritation towards Wolfwood. Something clicked in her ear as her memories fast forwarded straight into the walk through the dark hall and suddenly Jackie was truly back in the moment where the explosion rocked the walls and ground beneath them.

Shouts burst around her and Jackie let out a cry as something struck the side of her head. In an instant, Elise's hand was ripped from hers. Jackie fell to her knees, pain shooting up her legs and back as the ground met her joints viciously.

"Mae!" Jackie had shouted. The search followed, Jackie crawling desperately, ignoring the distinct feeling of someone's fingers being crushed under her knee. Mae Ling's voice echoed to her and Rufio's frightened screeches and gurgles led her to them. The feeling of braided hair as Jackie tried to throw herself over Mae Ling, and protect her from any more debris.

Silence.

There was a flash of green, and Jackie relived the assurances of Aoi. Brad shouted for an explanation and others clamored for a reason as to why the world fell on top of them. Elise was gone. Search for Elise.

Jackie stood and began her search, ignoring Mae Ling's pleas.

Walking into the darkness, testing the length of Hallways around her and the sheer and bloody panic that nearly overwhelmed her at the thought of 'DEAD END', Jackie could feel the relief like a welcome friend when she heard someone call out to her from where she was searching.  
"Elise!" Jackie had exclaimed.

Someone else shouted and Elise was urging her to turn and run. Confusion… and then a blast of angry red light as two silhouettes ran like death was coming and suddenly…

Flames… eyes so dark they could swallow you whole. Depths of an abyss so deep it was nearly crushing and a mangling grin that taunted its power at you and a shriek that could split a soul and shatter it to pieces-

Jackie let out a blood curdling scream and felt her body all but throw her from the seat, the cap with all its tiny suction cups was all but ripped from her head as she pulled away, her hair – now wet – dripping soft milky white liquid down her skin. The sensation felt wrong on her skin as the memory of the Troll wreaked havoc in her chest and Jackie wiped feverishly at the moisture, panicking blindly.

"It's alright!" someone exclaimed. Hands grabbed at her shoulders and Jackie recoiled, tears staining her cheeks as she tried to breathe. The sound of the door being slammed open reached her ears but Jackie's eyes remained unfocused as the memory clung to the back of her eyes.

"We're done here," Ianto's voice demanded and Jackie felt someone's arms swoop around her shoulders, pulling her close.

"Captain – er, Professor, you aren't allowed to interrupt. We were ordered to continue even if she reacted strongly to the procedure," Greg stammered.

"Professor, let go of the witness or we will be forced to remove you from the room," Lt. Suli's voice hardened voice snapped.

"What's this, eh? All big and bad now that you're promoted, is that it Suli?" Ianto snapped back, mocking, his hold tightening. "The power feels fantastic, doesn't it? Let it go to your head yet, or is it already wrapped so tight around your brain you can no longer hear a conscience?"

"Professor, I'm warning you!" the Lieutenant hissed, vicious.

"Professor, please—!" Someone tried to intervene. Jackie let out a shuddered breath before pushing Ianto away.

"Enough!" Jackie exclaimed, eyes still pulsing painfully. She blinked at them wearily before trying to take a step forward. The moment the room began to tilt to the side she was suddenly in the arms of someone else.

"Jackie," the woman with the soothing voice spoke from above her. "It's alright, it's alright."

The edge of her vision was pulsing black and Jackie's head suddenly began to ache so strangely it made her mute. Colors seemed strange the more she gazed at her surroundings and she closed her eyes, tightening her hands over her ears.

Someone was rubbing her shoulders and back and the sensation helped in calming her down. Shuddering breaths and tear stains were soon the only evidence of her panic attack. When she finally allowed her hands off her ears, Jackie made to demand the end of the session but as the woman slowly straightened her, Jackie suddenly remembered Brad's pleading face.

He was just as mixed up in this as she was. It was a terrible place to be in, being forced to live under someone's thumb, and the thought made her angry.

"I'm going to finish this," Jackie said, turning to face the people in the room. Ianto's eyes widened at her announcement and something in Suli's face changed with equal surprise.

"Kid… you're sure?"

Jackie nodded, her eyebrows furrowing in defiance. "I want whoever did this to go down and go down hard. I can handle some stupid memories."

Ianto's face sobered at her announcement, hardening to something she couldn't read before he nodded, turned and marched out of the room without another word. Suli and her officers only regarded her with something akin to impressed surprise and grudging respect before they, too, filed out of the room.

Something in Ianto's cold gaze before he marched away left a tight feeling in her gut, but Jackie cleared her throat and looked at the Waterbenders next to her with a nod.

"If you'd like we can speed through the moments with the Troll." The woman offered. Jackie felt her fists tighten, hating the fear that crept in her chest at the thought of going through it again.

"No," Jackie replied. "Let's just go through them so you can get everything you need."

Silence met her and with a square of her shoulders, Jackie turned back to the chair and sat down. Trembling and still feeling short of controlling her breath, Jackie shut her eyes tight and waited until they pulled her wet hair back and through the electrode cap. The warm feeling of water cradling her scalp was the only feeling she allowed herself to enjoy before she leaned back and succumbed to the feeling of falling.

More prepared now than before, Jackie bit her lip and as soon as the memory returned she forced her throat to lock any sounds out and tightened her hands over the arm rests. Someone grabbed her hand and that helped a bit, and even though she felt more confident the tug in her stomach that Ianto left didn't quite go away throughout the rest of the session.

As soon as the memories reached the last of the Hallway's début and began to go into her stay at the clinic, the whirring began to slow and fade. Jackie stifled a great sigh of relief as soon as she could feel her mind return completely to her body. Her muscles relaxed, having been tight as she struggled to deal with the experience and they felt sore as she let herself sink into the chair.

"Ah, hold on…" Greg spoke up and Jackie's insides froze.

"What is it?" The woman with the soothing voice asked.

"I'm getting strange readings on the subject. Heart rate was elevated at the end of the search."

"So?" The third waterbender asked. "It's probably just exertion from the procedure. Let it go."

"Hold on, Shun." The woman spoke again, "I think Greg might be onto something…"

Jackie almost panicked then and there, but forced her breaths to even out and to focus on a thought that made her calm down. She quickly recalled the flavor of the tea she had been drinking when Brad took her to the café. Brad…

"Her memory jumped to a more recent one… I don't think it has anything to do with –"

"Hold on. Her brain activity just spiked…"

Jackie mentally swore before switching to the taste of hot chocolate on a cold day.

"Let's do a quick sweep in her memories. Maybe her subconscious is trying to show us something. Tiak, position east two millimeters in the frontal cortex."

"Alright…" the woman – Tiak - replied.

Jackie bit the inside of her cheek as she struggled to hide her desire to throw them out of her head. She knew if she did anything too rash they'd be on to her so she tried to hold still and stay calm.

The memory of her first awakening to Kim and Aoi brightened up behind her eyes and Jackie watched as they talked to her of what happened. Elise's burst through the door followed by Mae Ling and finally Wolfwood. The fight and guilt and anguish filled Jackie's chest against her will at Elise's indignant face before she marched off.

The morning memories passed followed by Aang's impromptu visit, that memory brought a collective hum of awe and amusement from the Waterbenders. Until…

"Wait!" Greg exclaimed. "Go back!"

Jackie's curiosity overwhelmed her wary nervousness and followed them into the memory before Aang surprised her. She had been looking outside, gazing at the large oak tree and students dressed in nomadic clothes. Jackie frowned in confusion, the water letting a gentle sloshing sound as it moved around her earlobes.

"Slow it down and define…"

The memory seemed to slow in her mind and suddenly all the details surrounding her became more crisp. Clear. As if someone stuck a High definition button in her head and turned it on. The leaves on the Oak tree swiveled and rustled in silence at a moving breeze. Branches swayed gently as the sunlight broke through and cast dancing shadows on the stone benches and ground below.

People walked with definite detail. There had been a male with a bald head and a scar in the shape of a zig zag down his eye, his chin peppered with a light van dyke. A woman was walking away towards another bench, eyes downcast as she searched a brown knapsack by her side. A younger boy – who bore a striking resemblance to one of her friends' younger siblings – was sitting on the far side of the courtyard, puffing leaves up and down in the air with a simple display of airbending.

Just by the boy leaning against a stone wall was a figure, dressed in simple clothes of the Air Nomads with his arms crossed easily. It was a man, who looked like he was in his early twenties and had dirty blonde hair – pieces of it streaked with highlights so light they looked white under the sunlight. A ray of the sun struck the side of his pale neck, and it bounced back from the sleek silver of a chain hanging from his neck before disappearing below his collar. But the distractions ended there as Jackie realized he was staring right at her, his light green eyes piercing and watching.

Suddenly he smiled as if acknowledging Jackie, even though she wasn't looking at him at all but at the tree just yards in front of him. His lips twitched into a knowing smirk and then he lifted a hand and with two fingers, waved.

And just like that, Jackie found herself waking up to a room with baffled Waterbenders.

"Was that…?" One of them asked.

"No clue…" Greg replied. "I'll tell you one thing, though…" Jackie's eyes were wide as Tiak began to bend the water from her hair and down the porcelain sink. The water trickled down the pipe much like the nervousness of before, leaving nothing but a heavy numbness in its wake.

"I believe we may have found our lead."

* * *

**edit: I apologize if you guys have received three or four alerts concerning this chapter update. For some weird reason, FF kept messing up the format of the story, so you couldn't really see the breaks in between events and such. Hopefully, that's fixed now. :/ **

_And the plot continues to thicken! Bahahaha Well, let's face it guys, this story is really starting to grow on its own – I will still be adding teaching elements of course – but I want you guys to focus on the words, focus on the fluidity of the story and techniques I'll be using to let the story tell itself rather than me telling it. _

_Many thanks yet AGAIN to the MAGNIFICENT, and BEAUTIFUL, __**Jillie Rose~! **__She is just fantastic and has stuck by me and this story since it started two and a half years ago. (Blimey…)_

_Anyway, you know what to do! Review!_

_Let it rock!_

_Mido-Ao_


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